Case Report: Gold Miner’s Lung: A Case of Chronic Hypersensitivity Pneumonia in Amazonian Forest

The hostile conditions at informal and illegal mining sites in the Amazonian forest erode the miner’s health, exposing workers to a broad range of diseases because most of the gold is extracted using mercury (Hg). The Hg vapor used daily at gold panning sites presents an environmental threat to the ecosystems and human health. We report the case of a 58-year-old man who has worked in gold panning for over 30 years, presented with diffuse interstitial pneumonia characterized by bilateral images of ground glass and mosaic opacities on the chest CT scan. Based on the negative differential diagnosis (cardiovascular, infectious, autoimmune or cancer), the context of chronic exposure to Hg in a patient who has been working for decades on illegal gold panning sites, we concluded to a chronic form of heavy metal hypersensitivity pneumonia. This hypothesis was supported by high levels of mercury in blood and urine. Mercury hypersensitivity pneumonia might be more frequent than presently thought with thousands of workers chronically exposed to high mercury concentrations among others pollutants. Medical practitioners should systematically seek for chronic respiratory illnesses associated with pollutants exposure in these vulnerable workers with poor health.

A fluorimetric testing strip for the visual evaluation of mercury in blood using copper nanoclusters with DMSO-enhanced fluorescence and stability

Copper nanoclusters with DMSO-enhanced red fluorescence were coated onto test strips for the fluorimetric evaluation of Hg2+ by triggering the fluorescence quenching.

THE MERCURY CONTENT IN THE BLOOD OF INHABITANTS OF THE YAMALO-NENETS AUTONOMOUS DISTRICT

There are presented results of a study of the mercury content in the blood of 151 residents residing in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous district (YaNAO). Mercury is a toxic chemical of concern on a global scale. YaNAO is characterized by the presence of numerous sources of emissions of mercury - the enterprises of oil and gas production, develop the mineral deposits of the Polar Urals, housing and communal complex, gold mining, mercury ore occurrence. The study shows high levels of mercury in the blood of 41.7% of the surveyed residents of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous district, of which 35.6% are in the Taz district, 51.9% - in village Harsani, 60% - in the village Kutop’yugan. There were revealed high levels of mercury in the blood of the indigenous population of Yamal. The excessive accumulation of mercury was seen in 27.8% of indigenous males, in 18.2% of indigenous women (Tazovskiy district), in newly arriving men and women elevated levels of mercury in blood was not detected (Tazovskiy district). The absolute average values of mercury in blood from indigenous men (0.0112±0.0049 mg/ml) was almost five times higher than in migrant men (0.0023±0.0009 ág/ml); in indigenous women (0.0096±0.0063 mg/ml) the difference was almost three times in comparison with the migrant women (0.0038±0.0023 mg/ml). There is identified the possible damage to health from exposure to elevated concentrations of mercury for every third of the surveyed resident of Harshim settlement, village Kutop’yugan and 14.6% of the surveyed residents of the village Tazovskiy (the concentration of mercury in blood above 0.015 mg/ml). Elevated concentrations of mercury in the blood of residents of Nakhodka and Kutop tundra dictate the urgent necessity of the strengthening of control over the mercury contents in natural environments. It is necessary to conduct a surface gas-mercury survey on the territory of the Yamal and Gydan Peninsulas to identify a hidden source of mercury pollution. Research must be continued.