According to a study released by a Minas Gerais state environment foundation, Feam, out of 737 mining dams in Brazil, including iron ore waste dams, 14 dams do not comply with stability safety requirements.
Companies operating mining dams are required to register at Feam and comply with safety regulations, but accidents have nevertheless occurred in the recent past.
In November 2015, an iron ore waste dam owned by Samarco burst, killing 19 people and halting production at the local pellet producer. Samarco is a 50/50 joint venture (JV) between Vale and BHP Billiton.