HEAVY METALS IN RIVERS AFFECTED BY MINING ACTIVITIES IN ECUADOR: POLLUTION AND HUMAN HEALTH IMPLICATIONS

In this study, the concentration of eight dissolved heavy metals (Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Mo, Sb, and Ba) in 42 water samples from the Jiulongjiang River, southeast China, were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Multivariate statistical methods, including correlation analysis (CA) and factor and principal component analysis (FA/PCA), were analyzed to identify the sources of the elements. Water quality index (WQI) and health risk assessment, including hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI), were used to evaluate water quality and the impacts on human health. Our results were compared with the drinking water guidelines reported by China, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), revealing that Ti, Mn, and Sb were not within approved limits at some sites and might be the main pollutants in the drainage basin. Based on the spatial distributions, Ti, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Mo showed good similarity, indicating that they might come from similar sources along the river. The CA results also showed that Ti, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Mo had a high correlation coefficient. The FA/PCA results identified three principal components (PC) that accounted for 79.46% of the total variance. PC 1 suggested that a mixed lithogenic and urban land source contributed to Ti, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Mo; PC 2 showed that Cr, Ni, and Mo were influenced by the discharge of industrial effluents; Sb had a strong loading on PC 3, which was controlled by mining activities. The results of the WQI indicated that the water in the Jiulongjiang River was basically categorized as excellent water, but the water quality levels in site W5 and N4 were poorer due to urban land use. Hazard quotient and HI values showed that Sb was a potential threat to human health, indicating that preventive actions should be considered in regard to mining activities in the upper reaches of Beixi stream.

Download Full-text

Human Health Implications of Mercury Usage in Small-Scale Gold Mining Activities in the Brazilian Amazon

The Socio-Economic Impacts of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in Developing Countries ◽

10.1201/9780203971284.ch37 ◽

2003 ◽

pp. 679-700

Author(s):

Luiz Drude De Lacerda

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Gold Mining ◽

Brazilian Amazon ◽

Small Scale ◽

Mining Activities ◽

Health Implications

Download Full-text

Concentration and Human Health Implications of Trace Metals in Fish of Economic Importance in Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria

10.31230/osf.io/c4hma ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Ngozi Oguguah

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Heavy Metal ◽

Trace Metals ◽

Human Health ◽

Health Risks ◽

Fish Species ◽

Economic Importance ◽

World Health ◽

Health Implications ◽

Lagos Lagoon

Background. The most significant sources of food-borne diseases are microbiological and chemical hazards. The health risk due to consumption of food from aquatic ecosystems contaminated with hazardous chemicals including metals has increased globally, especially in developing countries like Nigeria.Objectives. The concentration and human health implications of trace metals in fish of economic importance in Lagos lagoon were investigated by determining the degree of contamination with heavy metals of selected fish from Lagos lagoon and assessing the possible health risks associated with fish consumption.Methods. Fish of economic importance including Caranx hippos, Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus, Elops lacerta, Galeoides decadactylus, Ilisha africana, Liza falcipinnis, Lutjanus goreensis, Mugil cephalus, Pseudotolithus senegalensis, Sarotherodon spp, Sphyraena spp, and Tilapia spp were bought from fishermen fishing in Lagos lagoon. The fish tissue samples were digested and analyzed in five replicates for heavy metals (lead, cadmium, iron, manganese and zinc) using a Varian AA600 atomic absorption spectrometer.Results. There were considerable variations in the concentrations of heavy metals among different species. The twelve fish species collected from Lagos lagoon were found to contain various concentrations of heavy metals and the levels of accumulation of these heavy metals varied across different species. Lead, cadmium, and manganese were present in all the studied fish species at higher concentrations than the maximum allowable concentrations in fish recommended by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO). The target hazard quotient (THQ) estimated for individual heavy metals through consumption of different fish species was less than 1 for all individual heavy metal in all the fish species.Conclusions. Controls on the dumping of wastes in the lagoon are needed, along with regular monitoring. Currently, no potential non-carcinogenic health risks from ingestion of a single heavy metal through consumption of these fish species was found.

Download Full-text

Concentrations and human health implications of heavy metals in market foods from a Chinese coal-mining city

Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology ◽

10.1016/j.etap.2017.01.011 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 50 ◽

pp. 37-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Jiali Cheng ◽

Xianhui Zhang ◽

Zhenwu Tang ◽

Yufei Yang ◽

Zhiqiang Nie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Human Health ◽

Coal Mining ◽

Health Implications ◽

Mining City ◽

Chinese Coal

Download Full-text

Geophagic clay materials from Nigeria: a potential source of heavy metals and human health implications in mostly women and children who practice it

Environmental Geochemistry and Health ◽

10.1007/s10653-014-9653-0 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 363-375 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

U. A. Lar ◽

J. I. Agene ◽

A. I. Umar

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Human Health ◽

Health Implications ◽

Potential Source ◽

Women And Children ◽

Clay Materials

Download Full-text

Concentrations and human health implications of heavy metals in wild aquatic organisms captured from the core area of Daya Bay’s Fishery Resource Reserve, South China Sea

Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology ◽

10.1016/j.etap.2016.05.022 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

pp. 90-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Yang-Guang Gu ◽

Hong-Hui Huang ◽

Qin Lin

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

South China Sea ◽

Human Health ◽

South China ◽

Aquatic Organisms ◽

Core Area ◽

Fishery Resource ◽

Health Implications ◽

China Sea ◽

The Core

Download Full-text

Heavy Metals Concentrations of Surface Dust from e-Waste Recycling and Its Human Health Implications in Southeast China

Environmental Science & Technology ◽

10.1021/es071873x ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 42 (7) ◽

pp. 2674-2680 ◽

Cited By ~ 352

Author(s):

Anna O. W. Leung ◽

Nurdan S. Duzgoren-Aydin ◽

K. C. Cheung ◽

Ming H. Wong

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Human Health ◽

Waste Recycling ◽

Southeast China ◽

Health Implications ◽

Surface Dust

Download Full-text

Known and anticipated medical geology issues in Ghana

Ecofeminism and Climate Change ◽

10.1108/efcc-06-2020-0020 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Raymond Webrah Kazapoe ◽

Emmanuel Arhin ◽

Ebenezer Ebo Yahans Amuah

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Heavy Metals ◽

Small Scale ◽

Medical Geology ◽

Mining Activities ◽

Health Issues ◽

Content Type ◽

Health Implications ◽

Mining Areas ◽

The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to review the known and anticipated medical geology problems in Ghana, to highlight the impact of some trace elements on human health and to reveal some essential aspects of medical geology on health. Design/methodology/approach Literature and empirical studies relating to medical geological issues in Ghana were reviewed. Secondary data were used in the present study such as case studies, reports, geological bulletins and published research studies. Findings High levels of heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium and mercury in gold extraction processes through artisanal small-scale mining have contributed to high concentrations of toxic elements in the environment. The distribution and availability of these elements in the environment are facilitated by the geological, chemical and local environmental activities that are irregularly spread exposing people mining areas to pollutions. Exposures to these elements in above and below baseline levels contributed to health implications including fluorosis, intellectual or developmental disability and death in some regions of Ghana. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases linked to mining activities were also presented in this study. Similarly, non-communicable diseases can affect many people if correct measures are not considered. Following the geometric increase in mining activities, it is anticipated that deleterious environmental and health impacts associated with mining may persist in mining areas in Ghana. Reported implications and continuous contamination of water bodies in mining areas could result in high pollution levels beyond treatment for human use or destroy aquatic habitats and aquatic lives through acid drainage. Above-threshold concentrations of heavy metals in soils could bio-accumulate in crops, and this could pose deleterious public health implications on consumers. Continuous effects posed on the environment and public health may prompt communities, regulatory institutions and government to reduce or ban mineral development. Originality/value This review has significantly revealed potential public health issues from the impact on the natural environment and recommends that medical geologists work together with medical workers to devise preventive and therapeutic techniques to address many geology-related-health issues in Ghana.

Download Full-text