scholarly journals Evaluating Wildlife Vulnerability to Mercury Pollution From Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Madre de Dios, Peru

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 194008291879432 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. E. Markham ◽  
F. Sangermano
Keyword(s):  
Gold Mining ◽  
Mercury Pollution ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Madre De Dios

scholarly journals Mercury Levels in Human Hair and Farmed Fish near Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Communities in the Madre de Dios River Basin, Peru

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aubrey L. Langeland ◽  
Rebecca D. Hardin ◽  
Richard L. Neitzel
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Gold Mining ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Mercury Level ◽  
Mercury Exposure ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Farmed Fish ◽  
Mining Communities ◽  
Hair Mercury ◽  
Madre De Dios

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) has been an important source of income for communities in the Madre de Dios River Basin in Peru for hundreds of years. However, in recent decades, the scale of ASGM activities in the region has increased dramatically, and exposures to a variety of occupational and environmental hazards related to ASGM, including mercury, are becoming more widespread. The aims of our study were to: (1) examine patterns in the total hair mercury level of human participants in several communities in the region and compare these results to the 2.2 µg/g total hair mercury level equivalent to the World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee of Food Additives (JECFA)’s Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI); and (2), to measure the mercury levels of paco (Piaractus brachypomus) fish raised in local aquaculture ponds, in order to compare these levels to the EPA Fish Tissue Residue Criterion of 0.3 µg Hg/g fish (wet weight). We collected hair samples from 80 participants in four communities (one control and three where ASGM activities occurred) in the region, and collected 111 samples from fish raised in 24 local aquaculture farms. We then analyzed the samples for total mercury. Total mercury levels in hair were statistically significantly higher in the mining communities than in the control community, and increased with increasing distance away from the Madre de Dios headwaters (as the crow flies), did not differ by sex, and frequently exceeded the reference level. Regression analyses indicated that higher hair mercury levels were associated with residence in ASGM communities. The analysis of paco fish samples found no samples that exceeded the EPA tissue residue criterion. Collectively, these results align with other recent studies showing that ASGM activities are associated with elevated human mercury exposure. The fish farmed through the relatively new process of aquaculture in ASGM areas appeared to have little potential to contribute to human mercury exposure. More research is needed on human health risks associated with ASGM to discern occupational, residential, and nutritional exposure, especially through tracking temporal changes in mercury levels as fish ponds age, and assessing levels in different farmed fish species. Additionally, research is needed to definitively determine that elevated mercury levels in humans and fish result from the elemental mercury from mining, rather than from a different source, such as the mercury released from soil erosion during deforestation events from mining or other activities.

River transport of mercury from artisanal and small-scale gold mining and risks for dietary mercury exposure in Madre de Dios, Peru

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 478-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Diringer ◽  
Beth J. Feingold ◽  
Ernesto J. Ortiz ◽  
John A. Gallis ◽  
Julio M. Araújo-Flores ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Mining ◽  
Mercury Exposure ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Environmental Sampling ◽  
Madre De Dios ◽  
River Transport ◽  
Downstream Communities

Environmental sampling over 560 km of the Madre de Dios River indicated a gradient of mercury exposure from areas of active mining to downstream communities.

scholarly journals Efficacy of Hair Total Mercury Content as a Biomarker of Methylmercury Exposure to Communities in the Area of Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Madre de Dios, Peru

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 13350
Author(s):  
Faye Koenigsmark ◽  
Caren Weinhouse ◽  
Axel Berky ◽  
Ana Morales ◽  
Ernesto Ortiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Mining ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Inorganic Mercury ◽  
Mercury Content ◽  
Mercury Exposure ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Mehg Exposure ◽  
Madre De Dios

Total mercury content (THg) in hair is an accepted biomarker for chronic dietary methylmercury (MeHg) exposure. In artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) communities, the validity of this biomarker is questioned because of the potential for contamination from inorganic mercury. As mining communities may have both inorganic and organic mercury exposures, the efficacy of the hair-THg biomarker needs to be evaluated, particularly as nations begin population exposure assessments under their commitments to the Minamata Convention. We sought to validate the efficacy of hair THg for public health monitoring of MeHg exposures for populations living in ASGM communities. We quantified both THg and MeHg contents in hair from a representative subset of participants (N = 287) in a large, population-level mercury exposure assessment in the ASGM region in Madre de Dios (MDD), Peru. We compared population MeHg-THg correlations and %MeHg values with demographic variables including community location, sex, occupation, and nativity. We observed that hair MeHg-THg correlations were high (r > 0.7) for all communities, regardless of location or nativity. Specifically, for individuals within ASGM communities, 81% (121 of 150 total) had hair THg predominantly in the form of MeHg (i.e., >66% of THg) and reflective of dietary exposure to mercury. Furthermore, for individuals with hair THg exceeding the U.S. EPA threshold (1.0 μg/g), 88 out of 106 (83%) had MeHg as the predominant form. As a result, had urine THg solely been used for mercury exposure monitoring, approximately 59% of the ASGM population would have been misclassified as having low mercury exposure. Our results support the use of hair THg for monitoring of MeHg exposure of populations in ASGM settings where alternative biomarkers of MeHg exposure are not feasible.

Mercury Exposure In Madre De Dios, Peru: Connecting Environmental Contamination To Human Exposure In A Region Of Small Scale Gold Mining

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 (1) ◽  
pp. 3484
Author(s):  
Beth J. Feingold ◽  
Helen Hsu-Kim ◽  
Kaitlin Porter ◽  
Ernesto Ortiz ◽  
Laura Rogers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Contamination ◽  
Human Exposure ◽  
Gold Mining ◽  
Mercury Exposure ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Madre De Dios

scholarly journals Mercury Contamination in Riverine Sediments and Fish Associated with Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Madre de Dios, Peru

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo Martinez ◽  
Stephen McCord ◽  
Charles Driscoll ◽  
Svetoslava Todorova ◽  
Steven Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Mining ◽  
Trophic Position ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Habitat Conditions ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Madre De Dios ◽  
Fish Samples ◽  
Δ15n And Δ13c

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Madre de Dios, Peru, continues to expand rapidly, raising concerns about increases in loading of mercury (Hg) to the environment. We measured physicochemical parameters in water and sampled and analyzed sediments and fish from multiple sites along one ASGM-impacted river and two unimpacted rivers in the region to examine whether Hg concentrations were elevated and possibly related to ASGM activity. We also analyzed the 308 fish samples, representing 36 species, for stable isotopes (δ15N and δ13C) to estimate their trophic position. Trophic position was positively correlated with the log-transformed Hg concentrations in fish among all sites. There was a lack of relationship between Hg concentrations in fish and either Hg concentrations in sediments or ASGM activity among sites, suggesting that fish Hg concentrations alone is not an ideal bioindicator of site-specific Hg contamination in the region. Fish Hg concentrations were not elevated in the ASGM-impacted river relative to the other two rivers; however, sediment Hg concentrations were highest in the ASGM-impacted river. Degraded habitat conditions and commensurate shifts in fish species and ecological processes may influence Hg bioaccumulation in the ASGM-impacted river. More research is needed on food web dynamics in the region to elucidate any effects caused by ASGM, especially through feeding relationships and food sources.

scholarly journals Mercury Contamination from Dental Amalgam

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Vazquez Tibau ◽  
Blanche D. Grube
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Gold Mining ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Dental Amalgam ◽  
Mercury Pollution ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
The European Union

Background. Mercury in dental amalgam is a hidden source of global mercury pollution, resulting from the illegal diversion of dental mercury into the artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector, to crematoria emissions from the deceased and sewage sludge that is sold to farmers. These significant mercury sources result in air, water, and food contamination that consequently have a negative impact on human health. Objectives. The aim of the present study was to investigate and report on all of the various pathways mercury in dental amalgam can enter the environment. Methods. The present study searched the electronic data bases of PubMed and Google Scholar. Peer reviewed journals and references of studies included for full-text review were examined for potentially relevant studies. Articles published between 2000 to 2018 were searched and specifically screened for articles that referenced “Dental Amalgam,” and the following key words in various combinations: “Minamata Convention on Mercury Treaty,” “Sewage Sludge,” “Cremation,” and “Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining.” Data were included on the most populous countries of China, India, the United States, Brazil, and the European Union collectively. We also included data on cremation statistics and current global trends, looking at populations where cremation is a common practice, such as Japan and India. Discussion. Dental amalgam represents a significant, but understudied area of global mercury pollution that includes cremation, sewage sludge, burial, and small-scale gold mining. Conclusions. Mercury used in products and processes, including dental amalgams, is a global pollutant. Even after the last mercury dental amalgam is placed, its toxic legacy will continue for decades, because of its pervasive bioaccumulation in the environment. Government regulatory agencies should make it mandatory to utilize available technologies, not only in developing countries, but also in developed countries, to reduce mercury contamination. Competing Interests. The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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