History of tailings dam failure: Impacts on access to safe water and influence on the legislative framework

Tailings dams have been built since 3000 BCE and despite the advancement of construction methods, mainly in the second half of the 21st century, their ruptures were still recorded. The main direct impacts are related to the loss of human lives, impairment of physical structures and changes in water quality. In this review, different dam failure events were critically analyzed considering their social and environmental impacts, besides the gaps in current regulations framework to appropriately charge the companies involved. These aspects differ the current review paper from those currently available, which also present advancements in the discussion of actions taken after the ruptures, the impacts on water quality, and the challenges related to the water supply. It has been noticed a lack of studies and methodologies capable to predict the water quality under scenarios of tailings contamination. Studies covering that aspect would be an important tool for planning emergency responses by stakeholders. With that in mind, the article discloses the pathway toward an effective strategy in scenarios of tailing dam failure that would mitigate the impacts on water quality and guarantee access to safe water.