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Hao C, Sun Q, Sun X, Li Q. Novel insights into antimony mobilization in different high- antimony aquifers from the molecular signatures of dissolved organic matter. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2024; 277:116377. [PMID: 38657454 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2024] [Revised: 04/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
The crucial role of the fluorescent components of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in controlling antimony (Sb) mobilization in groundwater has been confirmed. However, the molecular signatures contributing to Sb enrichment in DOM remain unknown. This study aims to investigate the origins and molecular compositions of DOM in different high-Sb aquifers (Sb-mining and no-Sb-mining aquifer), as well as compare different molecular signatures of DOM and mechanisms for Sb migration. The findings showed that Sb concentrations in Sb-mining aquifer exhibited a positive correlation with lignin- and tannin-like molecules characterized by high O/C and low H/C ratios, indicating an increased abundance of aromatic components with higher Humification Index and SUV-absorbance at 254 nm, compared to no-Sb-mining aquifer. Correspondingly, the complexation and competitive adsorption were considered as the predominate formation mechanisms on Sb enrichment in Sb-mining aquifer. In addition, high abundances of bioreactivity DOM may facilitated the migration of Sb via electron transfer and competitive adsorption in native no-Sb-mining aquifer. The outcomes of this investigation offer novel insights into the mechanism on Sb enrichment influenced by DOM at the molecule level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunming Hao
- Nantong Institute of Technology, Nantong, Jiangsu 226002, PR China; North China Institute of Science and Technology, Sanhe, Hebei 065201, PR China
| | - Qianqian Sun
- North China Institute of Science and Technology, Sanhe, Hebei 065201, PR China
| | - Ximeng Sun
- North China Institute of Science and Technology, Sanhe, Hebei 065201, PR China
| | - Qiong Li
- North China Institute of Science and Technology, Sanhe, Hebei 065201, PR China.
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2
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Adu Sarfo E, Tweneboah R. Mineral wealth paradox: health challenges and environmental risks in African resource-rich areas. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:724. [PMID: 38448855 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18137-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Africa is blessed with vast arable land and enriched with valuable natural resources encompassing both renewable (like water, forests, and fisheries) and non-renewable (such as minerals, coal, gas, and oil). Under the right conditions, a natural resource boom should serve as an important driver for growth, development, and the transition from cottage industry to factory output. However, despite its wealth, Africa is often associated with the notion of a resource curse. Negative outcomes are often linked with mineral wealth. This paper investigates the causes of adverse health outcomes in resource-rich regions. The study provides empirical support for the natural resource curse with particular emphasis on the environmental health risks in Africa. We explore the multifaceted connections among mineral deposits, environmental risks, conflict events and population dynamics, shedding light on the complexities of resource-rich areas. RESULTS We amalgamate georeferenced data pertaining to 22 specific mineral deposits with information on the prevalence of reliance on compromised infrastructures at a spatial resolution of 0.5∘ × 0 . 5 ∘ for all of Africa between 2000 and 2017. Through comprehensive econometric analysis of environmental health risk factors, including reliance on contaminated water sources, open defecation, unimproved sanitation, particulate matter concentration, and carbon concentration, we uncover the intricate pathways through which mineral deposits impact public health. Our findings revealed the significant role of in-migration in mediating environmental health risks. Moreover, we found that the activities of extractive companies amplify certain environmental risks including reliance on unimproved sanitation and practices and particulate matter concentration. Conflict events emerge as a key mediator across all environmental health risks, underlining the far-reaching consequences of instability and violence on both local communities and the environment. CONCLUSION The study contributes to the discourse on sustainable development by unraveling the nuanced associations between mineral wealth and health challenges. By drawing attention to the intricate web of factors at play, we provide a foundation for targeted interventions that address the unique environmental and health challenges faced by mineral-rich communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Adu Sarfo
- Faculty of Economic Sciences, National Research University Higher School of Economics, 20 Myasnitskaya Street, 101000, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Youngstown State University, 1 University Plaza, OH 44555, Ohio, USA
| | - Rabbi Tweneboah
- Faculty of Economic Sciences, National Research University Higher School of Economics, 20 Myasnitskaya Street, 101000, Moscow, Russia.
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Sakan S, Mihajlidi-Zelić A, Sakan N, Frančišković-Bilinski S, Kodranov I, Đorđević D. Potentially toxic elements in sediments near mines-a comprehensive approach for the assessment of pollution status and associated risk for the surface water environment. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2024; 31:16613-16628. [PMID: 38321282 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32178-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
This research is focused on the assessment of the pollution status of river and lake sediments near Pb, Zn, and Cu mines and tailings in the southeastern part of Serbia-Krajište area. The study is based on hypothesis that investigated rivers and lakes in the Krajište area could be polluted by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and that these elements could pose considerable ecological risk to the studied surface water environment. High PTE contents are detected in studied river sediments (up to 7892 mg kg-1 for Zn, 3224 mg kg-1 for Cu, 36,790 mg kg-1 for Pb, 64.2 mg kg-1 for Cd, and 1444 mg kg-1 for As). Given that the contents of the studied elements in most of the river sediments exceeded the background values, values prescribed by regulations of the Republic of Serbia, as well as probable effect concentration (PEL), it is possible to conclude that sediments were heavily polluted and that detrimental effects can be expected. Contamination indices including the enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF), index of geoaccumulation (Igeo), potential ecological risk index (Eri), ecological risk index (RI), pollution load index (PLI), and aggregative toxicity index (ATI) were used to assess the degree of pollution by PTEs. The ecological risk assessment revealed that there is a significant risk observed for toxic elements (primarily Pb, Cu, Cd, and As) at this moment. The highest contamination indices (EF, Igeo, CF, PLI, and ATI) are mainly associated with historical and current mining activities. The Monte Carlo analysis based on the risk assessment indices was used to evaluate the uncertainty. The most pronounced toxic risk is found for the Pb, Cu, Cd, and As which assessment was in the range of high and extremely high-risk probabilities. The obtained results suggest that levels of toxic elements pose a significant ecological risk to the surface water environment near Pb, Zn, and Cu mines in the Krajište area. The methodology applied in this paper could be very useful for other researchers dealing with the problem of environmental pollution by toxic elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanja Sakan
- Centre of Excellence in Environmental Chemistry and Engineering - Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Njegoševa 12, 11158, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Aleksandra Mihajlidi-Zelić
- Centre of Excellence in Environmental Chemistry and Engineering - Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Njegoševa 12, 11158, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Nenad Sakan
- Institute of Physics, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia
| | | | - Igor Kodranov
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski Trg 12-16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Dragana Đorđević
- Centre of Excellence in Environmental Chemistry and Engineering - Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Njegoševa 12, 11158, Belgrade, Serbia
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4
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Lefeuvre H, Billon S, Descostes M, Donnard J, Duval S, Sardini P. Using spectroscopic autoradiography of alpha particles for the quantitative mapping of 226Ra ultra-traces in geo-materials. J Environ Radioact 2024; 273:107392. [PMID: 38342022 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2024.107392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
The measurement of 226Ra and the identification of 226Ra-bearing minerals are important for studying the behavior of radium in the environment. Various instruments for measuring 226Ra are currently used: among the radiometric techniques that measure in bulk (no spatialization), there are gamma spectrometers and alpha spectrometers. Other instruments such as SEM-EDS can map the chemical elements thus providing information on the distribution of 226Ra, but are limited for ultra-trace analyses on natural geomaterials. Finally, autoradiography techniques can locate radioactivity, but are limited to the identification of the contribution of 226Ra when the 238U series is complete. This study focuses on spectroscopic autoradiography, a method for measuring both the energy of the alpha particle emissions and their positions on the autoradiograph. A gas detector based on a parallel ionization multiplier technology was used for this purpose. Alpha particle energy is dependent on the emitting radionuclides. In order to track the 226Ra, the energy spectrum of the 238U series was studied with modeling software. It appears possible to apply a thresholding on the energy spectrum to discriminate the 226Ra from the first alpha emitters of the 238U decay chain (i.e. 238U, 234U and 230Th, all below 5 MeV). The developed method was applied to a U-mill tailing sample prepared as a thin section. The sample was heterogeneous in terms of radioactivity and was not at secular equilibrium with 238U, as expected. The 226Ra was identified and localized, and different regions of interest were also analyzed with SEM-EDS elements cartography. This revealed 226Ra-rich barite (BaSO₄) phases measured at 3 ppmRa on average and containing no uranium; and uranium in siderite (FeCO3), showing a strong 226Ra deficit compared with secular equilibrium. Spectroscopic autoradiography opens up possibilities for the analysis of heterogeneous geological samples containing natural alpha emitters such as 238U and 226Ra: the 226Ra can be localized and quantified at ultra-trace content, and the method developed can also identify newly (young) uranium phases by measuring 238U/226Ra activity disequilibrium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Lefeuvre
- ERM (SARL), 7 rue Albert Turpain, 86000, Poitiers, France; IC2MP - HydrASA, Poitiers University UMR, 7285, CNRS, France
| | - Sophie Billon
- IC2MP - HydrASA, Poitiers University UMR, 7285, CNRS, France
| | - Michael Descostes
- ORANO Environmental R&D Dpt, 125 Av. de Paris, 92320, Châtillon, Paris, France; Centre de Géosciences, MINES ParisTech, PSL University, 35 rue St Honoré, 77300, Fontainebleau, France
| | | | - Samuel Duval
- AI4R (SAS), 2 rue Alfred Kastler, Nantes, France
| | - Paul Sardini
- IC2MP - HydrASA, Poitiers University UMR, 7285, CNRS, France.
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Chen X, Ren M, Li G, Zhang J, Xie F, Zheng L. Identification of nitrate accumulation mechanism of surface water in a mining-rural-urban agglomeration area based on multiple isotopic evidence. Sci Total Environ 2024; 912:169123. [PMID: 38070569 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
The accumulation of nitrate (NO3-) in surface waters resulting from mining activities and rapid urbanization has raised widespread concerns. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a nitrate transformation information system to elucidate the nitrogen cycle and ensure sustainable water quality management. In this study, we focused on the main river and subsidence area of the Huaibei mining region to monitor the temporal and spatial variations in the NO3- content. Multiple isotopes (δD, δ18O-H2O, δ15N-NO3-, δ18O-NO3-, and δ15N-NH4+) along with water chemistry indicators were employed to identify the key mechanisms responsible for nitrate accumulation (e.g., nitrification and denitrification). The NO3- concentrations in surface water ranged from 0.28 to 7.50 mg/L, with NO3- being the predominant form of nitrogen pollution. Moreover, the average NO3- levels were higher during the dry season than during the wet season. Nitrification was identified as the primary process driving NO3- accumulation in rivers and subsidence areas, which was further supported by the linear relationship between δ15N-NO3- and δ15N-NH4+. The redox conditions and the relationship between δ15N-NO3- and δ18O-NO3-, and lower isotope enrichment factor of denitrification indicated that denitrification was weakened. Phytoplankton preferentially utilized available NH4+ sources while inhibiting NO3- assimilation because of their abundance. These findings provide direct evidence regarding the mechanism underlying nitrate accumulation in mining areas, while aiding in formulating improved measures for effectively managing water environments to prevent further deterioration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Chen
- School of Environment and Energy Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230601, China; Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Mine Ecological Remediation, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Mengxi Ren
- School of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Chaohu University, Chaohu 238000, China; Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Mine Ecological Remediation, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Guolian Li
- School of Environment and Energy Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Jiamei Zhang
- School of Environment and Energy Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Fazhi Xie
- School of Environment and Energy Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230601, China.
| | - Liugen Zheng
- Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Mine Ecological Remediation, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China.
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Zhang T, Li Y, Wang M. Remote sensing-based prediction of organic carbon in agricultural and natural soils influenced by salt and sand mining using machine learning. J Environ Manage 2024; 352:120107. [PMID: 38237334 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Revised: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
It is important to keep soil organic carbon (SOC) in balance to ensure soil health and quality. In this manner, mining activities have crucial impacts on SOC stocks, especially in semi-arid and arid regions such as Iran. For this purpose, SOC was measured at 180 randomly selected points in both natural and agricultural soils in the central part of Iran. Machine learning methods, such as GEP (Genetic Expression Programming), SVR (Support Vector Regression), and ANNs (Artificial Neural Networks), were developed and employed to estimate SOC for all sampled points, including both natural and agricultural soils. Following that, topography and remotely sensed data were employed as input variables to improve SOC prediction influenced by mining. The remotely sensed data and topography factors were extracted from Landsat 9 images and Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), respectively. Input variables were considered in three scenarios, including the use of topography factors (scenario I), the use of remote sensing data (scenario II), and the use of both topography factors and remote sensing data (scenario III). The results of this study showed that the most effective model for predicting SOC across all sampled data was SVR (ME = -0.1539%, R2 = 0.642 and RMSE = 0.620%) when employing scenario III. Furthermore, the results indicated that the optimal method for both natural and agricultural soils was the SVR method when employing scenario III. Further analysis through mapping SOC contents showed that mining activities influenced the distribution of SOC in the studied region. Overall, the predicted maps of SOC contents indicated that lower SOC contents were predominantly distributed in the vicinity of salt and sand mines, particularly in salt-rich areas, for both natural and agricultural soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianqi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Eco-restoration of Regional Contaminated Environment of Ministry of Education, Shenyang University, Shenyang 110044, Liaoning, China.
| | - Ye Li
- Key Laboratory of Eco-restoration of Regional Contaminated Environment of Ministry of Education, Shenyang University, Shenyang 110044, Liaoning, China.
| | - Mingyou Wang
- Key Laboratory of Eco-restoration of Regional Contaminated Environment of Ministry of Education, Shenyang University, Shenyang 110044, Liaoning, China.
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Mosalem A, Redwan M, Abdel Moneim AA, Rizk S. Distribution, speciation, and assessment of heavy metals in sediments from Wadi Asal, Red Sea, Egypt. Environ Monit Assess 2024; 196:215. [PMID: 38286922 PMCID: PMC10824808 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12363-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Globally, the environmental contamination of stream sediments due to geogenic and anthropogenic sources is of growing concern. In this study, the heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in 22 superficial sediments in Wadi Asal, Red Sea, Egypt, were explored to assess sediment sources, the mobility of chemical species, and the degree of contamination in sediments. Therefore, the total heavy metal values in the fine fraction (< 63 μm), a five-step sequential extraction on selective samples, risk assessment, and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied. The mobility of heavy metals in Wadi Asal sediments, according to non-residual fraction percent, declines in the following order: Cd (90.9%) > Pb (85.2%) > Co (84.4%) > Cu (80.8%) > Zn (75.9%) > Ni (48.4%) > Cr (39.6%); indicating the high mobility of Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu, and Co. The mean metal contamination factor (CF) order is Cd (10.96) > Ni (3.91) > Cr (2.77) > Zn (2.18) > Pb (2.10) > Co (1.12) > Cu (0.70). The Geo-accumulation Index (Igeo) is decreased in the following order: Cd (2.19) > Ni (0.78) > Cr (0.55) > Zn (0.44) > Pb (0.42) > Co (0.22) > Cu (0.14). The risk assessment code (RAC) revealed very high to high risk for Cd, Co, and Pb. The results pointed out that the metals Cr, Co, Cu, and Ni are from geogenic sources, while Zn, Cd, and Pb are from anthropogenic sources due to Pb-Zn mining activities. Based on the threshold effect level (TEL), Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb have adverse effects on living organisms. According to these findings, the area along Wadi Asal and the downstream regions on the beach are highly polluted and heavy metal monitoring in sediments and aquatic organisms is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amal Mosalem
- Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, 82524, Egypt
| | - Mostafa Redwan
- Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, 82524, Egypt.
| | | | - Shaymaa Rizk
- Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, 82524, Egypt
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8
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Yang T, Wu Q, An Y, Lv J. Major ion compositions, sources and risk assessment of karst stream under the influence of anthropogenic activities, Guizhou Province, Southwest China. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15368. [PMID: 37220523 PMCID: PMC10200100 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
To explore the influence of different types of anthropogenic activity on the rivers, we investigate the major ion composition, sources and risk assessment of the karst stream (Youyu stream and Jinzhong stream), which are heavily influenced by mining activities and urban sewage, respectively. The chemical compositions of the Youyu stream water, which is heavily influenced by mining activities, are dominated by Ca2+ and SO42-. However, the chemical compositions of the Jinzhong stream water, which is heavily influenced by urban sewage, are dominated by Ca2+ and HCO3-. The Ca2+, Mg2+ and HCO3- in Jinzhong stream are mainly derived from rock weathering, while the Youyu stream is affected by acid mine drainage, and sulfuric acid is involved in the weathering process. Ion sources analysis indicates that the Na+, K+, NO3-, and Cl- in the Jinzhong stream mainly derive from urban sewage discharge; but NO3- and Cl- of the Youyu stream mainly derive from agricultural activities, and Na+, K+ are mainly from natural sources. The element ratios analysis indicates the ratio of SO42-/Mg2+ in Youyu stream (4.61) polluted by coal mine is much higher than that in Jinzhong stream (1.29), and the ratio of (Na++K++Cl-)/Mg2+ in Jinzhong stream (1.81) polluted by urban sewage is higher than Youyu stream (0.64). Moreover, the ratios of NO3-/Na+, NO3-/K+, and NO3-/Cl- in the agriculturally polluted Youyu stream were higher than those in the Jinzhong stream. We can identify the impact of human activities on streams by ion ratios (SO42-/Mg2+, (Na++K++Cl-)/Mg2+, NO3-/Na+, NO3-/K+, and NO3-/Cl-). The health risk assessment shows the HQT and HQN for children and adults are higher in Jinzhong stream than in Youyu stream and the total HQ value (HQT) of children was higher than one at J1 in the Jinzhong stream, which shows that children in Jinzhong stream basin are threatened by non-carcinogenic pollutants. Each HQ value of F- and NO3- for children was higher than 0.1 in the tributaries into Aha Lake, indicating that the children may also be potentially endangered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianhao Yang
- School of Public Health, The Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
- Key Laboratory of Karst Geological Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Qixin Wu
- Key Laboratory of Karst Geological Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
- The College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Yanling An
- Key Laboratory of Karst Geological Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
- The College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou Institute of Technology, Guiyang, China
| | - Jiemei Lv
- Key Laboratory of Karst Geological Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
- The College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
- The College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou Institute of Technology, Guiyang, China
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Wang C, Liao F, Wang G, Qu S, Mao H, Bai Y. Hydrogeochemical evolution induced by long-term mining activities in a multi-aquifer system in the mining area. Sci Total Environ 2023; 854:158806. [PMID: 36115401 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The hydrogeochemical evolution of groundwater is related to and affected by long-term mining activities, which may deteriorate the quality of groundwater. The Fengfeng mine in Handan, North China has a 30-y history of coal mining with long-term mining activities and complex geological conditions, resulting in a complex hydrogeochemical environment in the mining region. In this study, the hydrogeochemical evolution mechanism of groundwater in a multi-aquifer system in the Fengfeng Mining Area was investigated using machine learning (self-organizing maps combined with K-means clustering) and sulfur and oxygen isotopes (δ34SSO4 and δ18OSO4). The hydrogeochemical characteristics of different aquifers in the mining area changed to different degrees after mining compared with the characteristics before mining. The spatiotemporal variations in groundwater components were found to be controlled by pyrite oxidation, gypsum dissolution, and carbonate dissolution, which are affected by mining activities. Pyrite oxidation primarily occurred in the Carboniferous thin-layer limestone aquifer (CLA) and Permian sandstone aquifer (PSA). The hydrogeochemical evolution in the Ordovician limestone aquifer (OLA), the main aquifer in the study area, was affected by leakage recharge from CLA and PSA caused by mining activities. The results showed that owing to the effects of long-term mining, the altered groundwater flow system affected the evolution of groundwater components in each aquifer, particularly the sulfate concentration. This study reveals a distinct hydrogeochemical evolution induced by mining activities, which can provide a basis for groundwater resource management in mining areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Fu Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Guangcai Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Shen Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Hairu Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yunfei Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
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10
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Yamamoto FY, Souza ATC, Paula VDCSD, Beverari I, Garcia JRE, Padial AA, de Souza Abessa DM. From molecular endpoints to modeling longer-term effects in fish embryos exposed to the elutriate from Doce River. Sci Total Environ 2022; 846:157332. [PMID: 35870591 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Sediments represent a major sink and also a main source of contaminants to aquatic environments. An environmental disaster from a mining dam breakage in 2015 in South-East Brazil re-suspended complex mixtures of chemicals deposited in the sediment, spreading contaminants along the Doce River Basin (DRB) major river course. While high levels of contaminants in sediment were well described, toxicological effects in aquatic organisms were poorly investigated. Thus, the effects of these potentially toxic chemicals were assessed in the present study through different endpoints (biochemical to populational levels) in fish embryos of the South-American silver catfish exposed to elutriates from different sites of the DRB. Despite no significant mortality observed, our results showed that exposure to the elutriates, especially those from the closest site to the dam collapse, caused higher deformities rates and DNA damage in the fish embryos than in the control group. Multivariate analysis showed that these sublethal effects may be related to the high levels of metals introduced by mining activities, compromising long-term survival and reproduction success. In addition, it was possible to observe the influence of other sources of pollutants along the river. According to our data, the mathematical model simulated a significant impact on the population density at longer-term exposure, for the sites that showed the most prominent toxicity responses. The fish embryo toxicity test proved to be an effective assay to assess the ecotoxicological effects of the pollutants from a major river contaminated by a mining dam collapse and showed that the survival rate per se was not a suitable endpoint to assess the toxicity of the pollutants. As a consequence, we contributed to shed a light on a potential underestimated impact of pollutants in sediments of the DRB on the native organisms at distinct biological levels of organizations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Isabella Beverari
- Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University, São Vicente, Brazil
| | | | - André Andian Padial
- Graduation Program in Ecology and Conservation, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil; Analyses and Synthesis in Biodiversity Lab, Botany Department, Federal University Curitiba, Brazil.
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11
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Durkalec M, Martínez-Haro M, Nawrocka A, Pareja-Carrera J, Smits JEG, Mateo R. Factors influencing lead, mercury and other trace element exposure in birds from metal mining areas. Environ Res 2022; 212:113575. [PMID: 35644495 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Non-ferrous metal mining is considered one of the largest sources of toxic metal released to the environment and may threaten ecosystems, notably biota. We explored how birds that inhabit non-ferrous metal mining sites are exposed to mercury, lead, and other trace elements by analyzing their feathers and verifying which factors may influence element concentrations in feathers. We sampled a total of 168 birds, representing 26 species, with different feeding habits and migration patterns in a non-polluted reference site and two historical metal mining areas: Almadén, which is considered one of the most heavily mercury-contaminated sites worldwide, and the Sierra Madrona mountains where lead has been mined since ancient times. The quantification of aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), barium (Ba), beryllium (Be), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), mercury (Hg), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), selenium (Se), thorium (Th), thallium (Tl), uranium (U), vanadium (V) and zinc (Zn) was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Feather analysis revealed contamination by Hg and Pb, in Almadén and Sierra Madrona, respectively. We found that granivorous birds had the lowest feather Hg levels compared to those found in omnivorous, insectivorous, and piscivorous species, whereas feather Pb was about twice as high in granivores and omnivores, than in insectivorous and piscivorous birds. We also found differences among study sites in 13 elements and confirmed the influence of feather age, migratory patterns of the birds, and external deposition of elements, on metal concentrations in the feathers. Our results highlight that despite the cessation of metal mining in the study areas, local avifauna are being exposed to Hg and Pb from abandoned mines and old tailings sites, indicating that appropriate measures are needed to protect biota from overexposure to these toxic metals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maciej Durkalec
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Aleja Partyzantów 57, 24-100, Puławy, Poland.
| | - Mónica Martínez-Haro
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain; Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal de Castilla La Mancha (IRIAF), CIAG del Chaparrillo, Ctra. de Porzuna s/n, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain.
| | - Agnieszka Nawrocka
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Aleja Partyzantów 57, 24-100, Puławy, Poland.
| | - Jennifer Pareja-Carrera
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain.
| | - Judit E G Smits
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain; Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4Z6, Canada.
| | - Rafael Mateo
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain.
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12
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Barandun M, Bravo C, Grobety B, Jenk T, Fang L, Naegeli K, Rivera A, Cisternas S, Münster T, Schwikowski M. Anthropogenic influence on surface changes at the Olivares glaciers; Central Chile. Sci Total Environ 2022; 833:155068. [PMID: 35413346 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We have investigated the source and role of light-absorbing impurities (LAIs) deposited on the glaciers of the Olivares catchment, in Central Chile. LAIs can considerably darken (lowered albedo) the glacier surface, enhancing their melt. We combined chemical and mineralogical laboratory analyses of surface and ice core samples with field-based spectral reflectance measurements to investigate the nature and properties of such LAIs. Using remote sensing-based albedo maps, we upscaled local information to glacier-wide coverage. We then used a model to evaluate the sensitivity of surface mass balance to a change in ice and snow albedo. The across-scale surface observations in combination with ice core analysis revealed a history of over half a century of LAIs deposition. We found traces of mining residuals in glacier surface samples. The glaciers with highest mass loss in the catchment present enhanced concentrations of surface dust particles with low reflectance properties. Our results indicate that dust particles with strong light-absorbing capacity have been mobilized from mine tailings and deposited on the nearby glacier surfaces. Large-scale assessment from satellite-based observations revealed darkening (ice albedo lowering) at most investigated glacier tongues from 1989 to 2018. Glacier melt is sensitive to ice albedo. We believe that an accelerated winter and spring snow albedo decrease, partially triggered by surface impurities, might be responsible for the above-average mass loss encountered in this catchment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Barandun
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland; Institute of Earth Observation, EURAC research, Bolzano, Italy.
| | - Claudio Bravo
- Glaciologia y Cambio Climatico, Centro de Estudios Cientificos (CECs), Valdivia, Chile
| | - Bernard Grobety
- Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Theo Jenk
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland; Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ling Fang
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Kathrin Naegeli
- Department of Geography, Remote Sensing Laboratories, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Institute of Geography and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrés Rivera
- Departamento de Geografia, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sebastián Cisternas
- Glaciologia y Cambio Climatico, Centro de Estudios Cientificos (CECs), Valdivia, Chile
| | - Tatjana Münster
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Margit Schwikowski
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland; Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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13
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Hao C, Sun X, Xie B, Hou S. Increase in fluoride concentration in mine water in Shendong mining area, Northwest China: Insights from isotopic and geochemical signatures. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2022; 236:113496. [PMID: 35427878 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Mine water poses severe threats to the quality of the water supply and ecological environment of the Shendong mining areas owing to its excessive fluoride (F-) content. However, the geochemical behaviours and enrichment mechanisms responsible for F⁻ enrichment during mining activities are not fully understood. In total, 18 Yanan groundwater and 45 mine water samples were collected to analyse the spatial distribution, hydrogeochemical behaviours, and formation mechanisms related to elevated F- levels by analysing the stable isotopes and water-rock interactions. In this study, F- concentrations in mine water samples varied from 0.16 to 12.75 mg/L, with a mean value of 6.10 mg/L, and 77.78% of the mine water samples had a concentration that exceeded China's national standards (1.00 mg/L) for drinking water. The F- concentration was markedly high in the mine water samples, with the mean F- concentration being 1.58 times of that in the Yanan groundwater samples. The results of stable isotopes (18OH2O, D, 34SSO4, and 18OSO4) and water-rock interaction analyses suggested that cation exchange and competitive effects were the dominant factors responsible for elevated F- concentration in mine water during mining activities. Thus, the weathering of F-bearing minerals, agriculture, and domestic activities do not play a significant role in the secondary enrichment of F- concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunming Hao
- North China Institute of Science and Technology, Hebei 065201, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Groundwater Protection and Utilization by Coal Mining, Beijing 100011, PR China.
| | - Ximeng Sun
- North China Institute of Science and Technology, Hebei 065201, PR China.
| | - Bing Xie
- North China Institute of Science and Technology, Hebei 065201, PR China.
| | - Shuanglin Hou
- Hebei Key Laboratory of geological resources and environment monitoring and protection, Hebei 050011, PR China; Hebei Geo-Environment Monitoring, Hebei 050011, PR China.
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14
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Ebengue Atega PL, Vinches M, Casiot C, Pistre S. Development and implementation of a multi-criteria aggregation operator to estimate the contributions of the natural geochemical background and anthropogenic inputs in groundwater in former mining regions: An application to arsenic and antimony in the Gardon river watershed (southern France). Sci Total Environ 2022; 814:151936. [PMID: 34843780 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Establishing the contribution of natural enrichment of a substance and anthropogenic inputs has become a major issue for the management of groundwater systems. The issue is made more complex when the geology of the concerned territories is heterogeneous, at variable geographical scales, at a site that has experienced mining activity that has left behind mining remains. Several studies have tried to answer this problem using different approaches: statistical, geostatistical, geological, and geochemical. The limits of these studies are seen through the incomplete integration of geological and geomorphological parameters in the results. The aim of the present research is, therefore, to look deeper into an approach to estimate the respective contributions of the natural geochemical background and anthropogenic inputs, by simultaneously considering the heterogeneity of the geology, the variability of the spatial scale, and the combination of geological, geomorphological and statistical factors. A multi-criteria aggregation operator was thus developed and implemented on underground water bodies delimited by the Gardon watershed in the Cevennes (a region with former mining activities - France), in order to produce quantitative and qualitative maps for discriminating between the natural geochemical background and anthropogenic inputs. 176 geochemical observation points on groundwater quality were collected by sampling and through the acquisition of public data on water sources (ADES database), wells and boreholes, to reconstruct the spatial distribution of arsenic and antimony in the study site. An aggregation operator was developed, which enabled the determination of the formulae to calculate the natural geochemical background and hence deduce the anthropogenic contributions. Cartography of the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the geochemical concentrations that have been impacted by anthropogenic activity made it possible to determine remarkable focal points located on the Cevennes fault and other specific points of geochemical interest.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marc Vinches
- Hydrosciences Montpellier, Univ Montpellier, IMT Mines Ales, CNRS, IRD, Ales, France
| | - Corinne Casiot
- Hydrosciences Montpellier, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Séverin Pistre
- Hydrosciences Montpellier, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
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15
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Mishra M, Santos CAG, Nascimento TVMD, Dash MK, Silva RMD, Kar D, Acharyya T. Mining impacts on forest cover change in a tropical forest using remote sensing and spatial information from 2001-2019: A case study of Odisha (India). J Environ Manage 2022; 302:114067. [PMID: 34781051 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Worldwide mining activities are one of the major anthropogenic activities that have caused high forest cover loss (FCL). In this study, we have quantified FCL in Odisha State due to mining activities analyzing Hansen Global Forest Change (HGFC) time series data for the period of 2001-2019 in Google Earth Engine platform. Our analysis suggests that Nabarangpur, Puri, Kendrapara, and Kalahandi districts lost more than 20% of their forest cover during this period. Rayagada and Koraput were the top two districts that recorded the highest FCL with mean change rates of 13.81 km2/year and 7.17 km2/year, respectively. The results point out that mining operations have grown in recent years in Odisha State, and the increase in these activities has contributed to the increase in FCL. This study offers a cost-effective methodology to monitor FCL in mining areas which will eventually contribute to the protection of forest biodiversity and forest dwelling tribal population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manoranjan Mishra
- Department of Natural Resources Management and Geo-informatics, Berhampur University, Berhampur, Odisha, 760007, India
| | | | | | - Manoj Kumar Dash
- Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, 474010, India
| | | | - Dipika Kar
- Department of Natural Resources Management and Geo-informatics, Berhampur University, Berhampur, Odisha, 760007, India
| | - Tamoghna Acharyya
- School of Sustainability, XIM University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
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16
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Liu Y, Wang P, Gojenko B, Yu J, Wei L, Luo D, Xiao T. A review of water pollution arising from agriculture and mining activities in Central Asia: Facts, causes and effects. Environ Pollut 2021; 291:118209. [PMID: 34563852 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 09/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Central Asia is one of many regions worldwide that face severe water shortages; nevertheless, water pollution in this region exacerbates the existing water stress and increases the risk of regional water conflicts. In this study, we perform an extensive literature review, and the data show that water pollution in Central Asia is closely linked to human activities. Within the Asian Gold Belt, water pollution is influenced mainly by mining, and the predominant pollutants are heavy metals and radionuclides. However, in the irrigated areas along the middle and lower reaches of inland rivers (e.g., the Amu Darya and Syr Darya), water pollution is strongly associated with agriculture. Hence, irrigated areas are characterized by high concentrations of ammonia, nitrogen, and phosphorus. In addition, the salinities of rivers and groundwater in the middle and lower reaches of inland rivers generally increase along the flow path due to high rates of evaporation. Soil salinization and frequent salt dust storms in the Aral Sea basin further increase the pollution of surface water bodies. Ultimately, the pollution of surface water and groundwater poses risks to human health and deteriorates the ecological environment. To prevent further water pollution, joint monitoring of the surface water and groundwater quantity and quality throughout Central Asia must be implemented immediately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Liu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Linkoping University-Guangzhou University Research Center on Urban Sustainable Development, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Ping Wang
- Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Boris Gojenko
- Scientific Information Center of Interstate Coordination Water Commission of Central Asia, Tashkent, 100187, Uzbekistan
| | - Jingjie Yu
- Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lezhang Wei
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Linkoping University-Guangzhou University Research Center on Urban Sustainable Development, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Dinggui Luo
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Tangfu Xiao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
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17
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Kayet N, Pathak K, Kumar S, Singh CP, Chowdary VM, Chakrabarty A, Sinha N, Shaik I, Ghosh A. Deforestation susceptibility assessment and prediction in hilltop mining-affected forest region. J Environ Manage 2021; 289:112504. [PMID: 33839612 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This work mainly focused on deforestation susceptibility (DS) assessment and its prediction based on statistical models (FR, LR & AHP) in the Saranda forest, India. Also, efforts had been made to quantify the effect of mining on deforestation. We had considered twenty-five (twenty present and five predicted) causative variables of deforestation, including climate, natural or geomorphological, forestry, topographical, environmental, and anthropogenic. The predicted variables have been generated from different simulation models. Also, very high-resolution, Google Earth imagery have been used in time series analysis for deforestation from 1987 to 2020 data and generated dependent variable. On deforestation analysis, it was observed that a total of 4197.84 ha forest areas were lost in the study region due to illegal mining, agricultural and tribal people allied activities. The DS results have shown that of total existing forest area, 11.22% area were under very high, 16.08% under high, 16.18% under moderate, 24.25% under low, and 32.27% falls very low categories. According to the DS assessment and predicted results, the very high susceptibility classes were found at and close to mines, agricultural, roads and settlement's surrounding sites. The sensitivity analysis results also shown that some causative variables (maximum temperature (2.95%), minimum temperature (0.51%), rainfall (2.69%), LST (4.56%), hot spot (7.36%), aspect (1.14%), NDVI (2.64%), forest density (3.78%), lithology (3.26%), geomorphology (3.00%), distance from agricultural (19.40%), soil type (2.05%), solar radiation (5.97%), LULC (3.26%), drought (3.16%), altitude (2.85%), slope (5.97%), distance from mines (18.05%), roads (2.17%), and settlements (5.18%)) were more sensitive to deforestation. Most of the sensitive parameters showed a positive correlation with DS. The AUC values of the ROC curve had shown a better fit for AHP (0.72) than (0.69) FR and LR (0.68) models for present DS results. The correlation results had shown a good inverse relationship between DS and distance from mines and foliar dust concentration. This work will espouse the future work in the effective planning and management of the mining-affected forest region and predicted deforestation susceptibility would be helpful for forest ecosystem study and policymaking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narayan Kayet
- Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India.
| | - Khanindra Pathak
- Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India
| | - Subodh Kumar
- Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India
| | - C P Singh
- Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO, Ahmedabad, India
| | - V M Chowdary
- Regional Remote Sensing Centre (RRSC), ISRO, Delhi, India
| | | | | | - Ibrahim Shaik
- National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO, Hyderabad, India
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18
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Ferreira GWD, Ribeiro BT, Weindorf DC, Teixeira BI, Chakraborty S, Li B, Guilherme LRG, Scolforo JRS. Assessment of iron-rich tailings via portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry: the Mariana dam disaster, southeast Brazil. Environ Monit Assess 2021; 193:203. [PMID: 33751261 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-08982-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
On November 5, 2015, the Fundão dam collapsed and released > 60 million m3 of iron-rich mining sediments into the Doce river basin, covering >1000 ha of floodplain soils across ~80 km from the rupture. The characterization of alluvial mud covering and/or mixed with native soil is a priority for successful environmental rehabilitation. Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometry was used to (1) assess the elemental composition of native soils and alluvial mud across impacted riparian areas; and 2) predict fertility properties of the mud and soils that are crucial for environmental rehabilitation and vegetation establishment (e.g., pH, available macro and micronutrients, cation exchange capacity, organic matter). Native soils and alluvial mud were sampled across impacted areas and analyzed via pXRF and conventional laboratory methods. Random forest (RF) regression was used to predict fertility properties using pXRF data for pooled soil and alluvial mud samples. Mud and native surrounding soils were clearly differentiated based on chemical properties determined via pXRF (mainly SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, TiO2, and MnO). The pXRF data and RF models successfully predicted pH for pooled samples (R2 = 0.80). Moderate predictions were obtained for soil organic matter (R2 = 0.53) and cation exchange capacity (R2 = 0.54). Considering the extent of impacted area and efforts required for successful environmental rehabilitation, the pXRF spectrometer showed great potential for screening impacted areas. It can assess total elemental composition, differentiate alluvial mud from native soils, and reasonably predict related fertility properties in pooled heterogeneous substrates (native soil + mud + river sediments).
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel W D Ferreira
- Department of Forest Sciences, Federal University of Lavras, Minas Gerais State, Doutor Sylvio Menicucci Avenue, Lavras, 37200-900, Brazil.
- Savannah River Ecology, University of Georgia, P O Drawer E, SC, Aiken, 29802, USA.
| | - Bruno T Ribeiro
- Department of Soil Science, Federal University of Lavras, Minas Gerais State, Doutor Sylvio Menicucci Avenue, Lavras, 37200-900, Brazil
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Bayer Plant Science Building, Room 211A, 2911 15th Street, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
| | - David C Weindorf
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Bayer Plant Science Building, Room 211A, 2911 15th Street, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, 48859, USA
| | - Barbara I Teixeira
- Department of Forest Sciences, Federal University of Lavras, Minas Gerais State, Doutor Sylvio Menicucci Avenue, Lavras, 37200-900, Brazil
| | - Somsubhra Chakraborty
- Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology , Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India
| | - Bin Li
- Department of Experimental Statistics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70802, USA
| | - Luiz Roberto G Guilherme
- Department of Soil Science, Federal University of Lavras, Minas Gerais State, Doutor Sylvio Menicucci Avenue, Lavras, 37200-900, Brazil
| | - José Roberto S Scolforo
- Department of Forest Sciences, Federal University of Lavras, Minas Gerais State, Doutor Sylvio Menicucci Avenue, Lavras, 37200-900, Brazil
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Yang B, Bai Z, Zhang J. Environmental impact of mining-associated carbon emissions and analysis of cleaner production strategies in China. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2021; 28:13649-13659. [PMID: 33188521 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-11551-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, concern has been increasing regarding the carbon emissions generated by mining activities. China is an extremely large coal producer (3695 Mt/2015) and consumer (3698 Mt/2015), and Shanxi Province (i.e., a major coal-producing province in China) is a crucial element in China's energy conservation and emission reduction goals. In this study, the Pingshuo mining area (PMA) in Shanxi Province was chosen as a case to analyze the dynamic changes in carbon emissions based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) method, and the factors influencing carbon emissions were analyzed via the IPAT equation. Carbon emission sources in opencast mines mainly included fuel and explosive use, coal mine methane escape, coal and gangue spontaneous combustion, and electricity consumption. The carbon emission of the PMA increased from 4 × 104 Mg in 1986 to 1.05 × 106 Mg in 2015, with an average annual increase of 11.64%. In the PMA, 4.71 × 106 Mg of carbon emissions from fuel consumption accounted for 41.79% of carbon emissions, and 5.26 × 106 Mg of carbon emissions from methane emissions accounted for 46.66%. Carbon emissions from explosives and electricity use were 4.1 × 105 Mg and 8.8 × 105 Mg, respectively. In this mining area, the factors influencing carbon emissions included population, GDP, and coal output. The results of this study not only provide a reference for cleaner production in mining areas but also lay a foundation for the study of global opencast coal mining carbon emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boyu Yang
- School of Land Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhongke Bai
- School of Land Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, People's Republic of China.
- Key Lab of Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation, The Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing, 100035, People's Republic of China.
| | - Junjie Zhang
- School of Land Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, People's Republic of China
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20
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Mallet MD. Meteorological normalisation of PM 10 using machine learning reveals distinct increases of nearby source emissions in the Australian mining town of Moranbah. Atmos Pollut Res 2021; 12:23-35. [PMID: 32837216 PMCID: PMC7431165 DOI: 10.1016/j.apr.2020.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The impacts of poor air quality on human health are becoming more apparent. Businesses and governments are implementing technologies and policies in order to improve air quality. Despite this the PM10 air quality in the mining town of Moranbah, Australia, has worsened since measurements commenced in 2011. The annual average PM10 concentrations during 2012, 2017, 2018 and 2019 have all exceeded the Australian National Environmental Protection Measure's standard, and there has been an increase in the frequency of exceedances of the daily standard. The average annual increase in PM10 was 1.2 ± 0.5 μg m - 3 per year between 2011 and 2019 and has been 2.5 ± 1.2 μg m - 3 per year since 2014. The cause of this has not previously been established. Here, two machine learning algorithms (gradient boosted regression and random forest) have been implemented to model and then meteorologically normalise PM10 mass concentrations measured in Moranbah. The best performing model, using the random forest algorithm, was able to explain 59% of the variance in PM10 using a range of meteorological, environmental and temporal variables as predictors. An increasing trend after normalising for these factors was found of 0.6 ± 0.5 μg m - 3 per year since 2011 and 1.7 ± 0.3 μg m - 3 per year since 2014. These results indicate that more than half of the increase in PM10 is due to a rise in local emissions in the region. The remainder of the rise in PM10 was found to be due to a decrease of soil water content in the surrounding region, which can facilitate higher dust emissions. Whether the presence of open-cut coal mines exacerbated the role of soil water content is unclear. Although fires can have drastic effects on the local air quality, changes in fire patterns are not responsible for the rising trend. PM10 composition measurements or more detailed data relating to local sources is still needed to better isolate these emissions. Nonetheless, this study highlights the need and potential for action by industry and government to improve the air quality and reduce health risks for the nearby population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Daniel Mallet
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
- Now at Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
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Kayet N, Pathak K, Chakrabarty A, Kumar S, Singh CP, Chowdary VM. Assessment of mining activities on tree species and diversity in hilltop mining areas using Hyperion and Landsat data. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2020; 27:42750-42766. [PMID: 32720025 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-09795-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The tree species and its diversity are two critical components to be monitored for sustainable management of forest as well as biodiversity conservation. In the present study, we have classified the tree species and estimated its diversity based on hyperspectral remote sensing data at a fine scale level in the Saranda forest. This area is situated near the mining fields and has a dense forest cover around it. The forest surrounding the study area is exhibiting high-stress condition as evidenced by the dying and dry plant material, consequently affecting tree species and its diversity. The preprocessing of 242 Hyperion (hyperspectral) spectral wavebands resulted in 145 corrected spectral wavebands. The 21 spectral wavebands were selected through discrimination analysis (Walk's Lambda test) for tree species analysis. The SVM (support vector machine), SAM (spectral angle mapper), and MD (minimum distance) algorithms were applied for tree species classification based on ground spectral data obtained from the spectroradiometer. We have identified six local tree species in the study area at the spatial level. The result shows that Sal and Teak tree species are located in the upper and lower hilly sides of two mines (Meghahatuburu and Kiriburu). We have also used hyperspectral narrow banded vegetation indices (VIs) for species diversity estimation based on the field-measured Shannon diversity index. The statistical result shows that NDVI705 (red edge normalized difference vegetation index) is having the best R2 (0.76) and lowest RMSE (0.04) for species diversity estimation. That is why we have used NDVI705 for species diversity estimation. The result shows that higher species diversity values are located in the upper and lower hilly sides of two mines. The linear regression between Hyperion and field measured Shannon index shows the R2 (0.72) and RMSE (0.15). This study will aid in effective geoenvironmental planning and management of forest in the hilltop mining areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narayan Kayet
- Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India.
- Department of Remote sensing and GIS, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, India.
| | - Khanindra Pathak
- Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India
| | - Abhisek Chakrabarty
- Department of Remote sensing and GIS, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, India
| | - Subodh Kumar
- Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India
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Arteau J, Boucher É, Poirier A, Widory D. Historical smelting activities in Eastern Canada revealed by Pb concentrations and isotope ratios in tree rings of long-lived white cedars (Thuja occidentalis L.). Sci Total Environ 2020; 740:139992. [PMID: 32927536 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Mining activities at Duparquet in Western Quebec (Canada) have significantly affected the local environment and left behind significant amounts of metals. Monitoring this contamination is essential to infer its past and present impacts on environmental quality and to evaluate the resulting human exposure. In that context, we measured long time series of Pb concentrations and their corresponding stable isotope ratios in long-lived white cedars (Thuja occidentalis L.) growing at Duparquet Lake in order to evaluate potential time variations of the Pb environmental contamination as well as to identify the responsible source(s). Results show that before 1950, Pb at Duparquet is mostly terrigenous. Lead concentrations rapidly increase afterwards. A simultaneous shift to lower 206Pb/207Pb ratios identifies the smelting of Abitibi ores as the source of contamination. An isotope mass balance model evaluates at roughly 7.5-20%, 5-40%, 5-9% and <3% the Pb contributions from local smelters at distances of 3.6, 3.9, 7 and 9 km, respectively. The dispersion of the Pb contamination plume is possibly driven by the distance from the Beattie smelter. We finally estimated a delay of at least 13 years between atmospheric emissions from the Beattie smelting activities and the time they are recorded by tree rings. Ultimately, this study demonstrates that white cedar tree rings series provide reliable archives of past and present Pb atmospheric contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Arteau
- GEOTOP/UQAM, Montreal, Canada; TOXEN/UQAM, Montreal, Canada
| | | | | | - David Widory
- GEOTOP/UQAM, Montreal, Canada; TOXEN/UQAM, Montreal, Canada.
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Bevilacqua MS, Vitório A, Felix RW, Ribeiro EG, Bozelli RL, Figueiredo-Barros MP, de Assis Esteves F. Small is better: comparing the efficiency of two Surber samplers' sizes for biomonitoring programs in tropical headwater streams in the Amazon region. Environ Monit Assess 2020; 192:708. [PMID: 33068209 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-020-08676-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to compare the efficiency of two different sizes of the Surber sampler to assess benthic macroinvertebrates in headwater streams in two Amazonian regions. Two Surber samplers of different sizes were used, one measuring 20 × 20 cm and the other 30 × 30 cm, both with a 0.25-mm net. The number of replicates taken was 6 for the smaller sampler and 3 for the bigger one, maintaining approximately the same total sampled area. The study was carried out in 12 headwater streams with different environmental conditions. Biological metrics were calculated for each size at each site and compared within each stream health category. A two-way analysis of similarities test was performed to compare the community structure assessed by each method at each stream. A normalized sampling effort was used to quantify the number of samples required to correctly sample each site. The data did not show a significant difference between the two sizes regarding the taxonomic recruitment and the community structure sampled at each stream, but differences were found between the two sizes in dominance values and in Shannon index scores for the natural sites. Furthermore, the smaller Surber was able to assess 70% of the estimated richness in all sites, which suggests that it is better to assess benthic macroinvertebrates than the larger Surber. Moreover, the smaller Surber is easier to transport in the field, reducing the effort of the technician, and takes less time to sort the material collected with it, which can reduce the sample processing effort, therefore reducing the cost of the project.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Silvina Bevilacqua
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aquática, Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (NUPEM/UFRJ), Macae, Brazil.
| | - Amanda Vitório
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aquática, Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (NUPEM/UFRJ), Macae, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Weber Felix
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aquática, Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (NUPEM/UFRJ), Macae, Brazil
| | - Enoque Gonçalves Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aquática, Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (NUPEM/UFRJ), Macae, Brazil
| | - Reinaldo Luiz Bozelli
- Laboratório de Limnologia, Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Marcos Paulo Figueiredo-Barros
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aquática, Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (NUPEM/UFRJ), Macae, Brazil
| | - Francisco de Assis Esteves
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aquática, Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (NUPEM/UFRJ), Macae, Brazil
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24
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Erasmus JH, Malherbe W, Zimmermann S, Lorenz AW, Nachev M, Wepener V, Sures B, Smit NJ. Metal accumulation in riverine macroinvertebrates from a platinum mining region. Sci Total Environ 2020; 703:134738. [PMID: 31731169 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Revised: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
South Africa is the world's main supplier of Pt. The Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa contains 75% of the world's Pt resources. Mining of this precious metal requires large volumes of water for production and removal of waste products. Most of this wastewater is discharged into river systems. Although the source of contamination with Pt in aquatic systems due to mining activities is known, little to no information is available about the impact of Pt on aquatic organisms. Additionally, other metals are released as byproducts of Pt mining, which might also be discharged into the environment. Therefore, concentrations of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pt and Pb were determined in water, sediment and macroinvertebrate samples from a reference site (Site 1), a highly impacted site (Site 2) and a moderately impacted site (Site 3) along the Hex River, South Africa. Aquatic invertebrate families representing different functional feeding groups i.e. scraper-grazers (Lymnaeidae), collector-gatherers (Potamonautidae, Hydropsychidae, Tubificidae and Chironomidae), shredders (Baetidae) and predators (Coenagrionidae and Libellulidae) were studied. In the sediments, the concentrations of Cr and Pt were significantly higher at Site 2 than at Sites 1 and 3, respectively, whereas concentrations of Ni, Cu, Cd, and Pb showed no significant differences between the sites. Depending on the metal, the aquatic invertebrate families showed different grades of bioaccumulation. The results from especially Lymnaeidae, Baetidae, Tubificidae and Chironomidae showed great promise for the use of these taxa for biomonitoring of metal contaminations. The macroinvertebrates accumulated metals associated with Pt mining, with epi-benthic dwelling taxa (Tubificidae) accumulating higher concentrations of Pt and Cr than other families (e.g. Potamonautidae, Coenagrionidae and Lymnaeidae). These results provide valuable information on the behavior of metals related to Pt mining in aquatic ecosystems and therefore can contribute to the risk assessment of these intensive mining activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- J H Erasmus
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, 11 Hoffman St, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.
| | - W Malherbe
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, 11 Hoffman St, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.
| | - S Zimmermann
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, 11 Hoffman St, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa; Department of Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, Essen 45141, Germany.
| | - A W Lorenz
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, Essen 45141, Germany.
| | - M Nachev
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, Essen 45141, Germany.
| | - V Wepener
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, 11 Hoffman St, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.
| | - B Sures
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, Essen 45141, Germany.
| | - N J Smit
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, 11 Hoffman St, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.
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25
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Schreck E, Viers J, Blondet I, Auda Y, Macouin M, Zouiten C, Freydier R, Dufréchou G, Chmeleff J, Darrozes J. Tillandsia usneoides as biomonitors of trace elements contents in the atmosphere of the mining district of Cartagena-La Unión (Spain): New insights for element transfer and pollution source tracing. Chemosphere 2020; 241:124955. [PMID: 31604198 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.124955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Nowadays, atmospheric pollution has a major impact on the human health and the environment, encouraging the development of biomonitors of the air quality over a wide zone. In this study, the relevance of the epiphyte plants Tillandsia usneoides is studied to estimate the transfer of metal(loid)s from a former Zn and Pb mining zone in the Southeast of Spain (Cartagena-La Unión) to the local atmosphere. Biomonitoring was performed by installing plants in 5 sites along a transect from the main mining area to the urban and the coastal zones. An aliquot of plants was collected in every site every 2 months over 1 year. The Tillandsia usneoides have been observed with SEM-EDX, and analysed by ICP-MS to determine trace element concentrations, magnetic susceptibility signals and Zn and Pb isotopes ratios. Results show that atmospheric particles are distributed homogeneously at the plant surface. By comparing elemental contents in Tillandsia usneoides with regard to the values of the geochemical background of the region of Murcia, significant enrichments are observed in the epiphyte plants for Sb, As, Cd, Zn and Pb. The statistical analyses (decentred PCA and PLS) also suggest that the kinetics of dust deposition is slower for the urban and coastal sites compared to the mining sites and highlight an influence of agricultural activities in Cu deposition. The similarity of isotopic compositions (Zn and Pb) between Tillandsia usneoides, soils and atmospheric particles also put in evidence that these plants could be a powerful tool to trace the source of matter in the atmosphere. Finally, this experiment provides new insight to better understand the foliar absorption mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Schreck
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 14 Avenue E. Belin, 31400, Toulouse, France.
| | - Jérôme Viers
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 14 Avenue E. Belin, 31400, Toulouse, France
| | - Isalyne Blondet
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 14 Avenue E. Belin, 31400, Toulouse, France
| | - Yves Auda
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 14 Avenue E. Belin, 31400, Toulouse, France
| | - Mélina Macouin
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 14 Avenue E. Belin, 31400, Toulouse, France
| | - Cyril Zouiten
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 14 Avenue E. Belin, 31400, Toulouse, France
| | - Rémi Freydier
- HydroSciences UMR 5569, CNRS, Universités Montpellier I & II, IRD, Place Eugène Bataillon, CC MSE, 34095, Montpellier, Cedex 5, France
| | - Grégory Dufréchou
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 14 Avenue E. Belin, 31400, Toulouse, France
| | - Jérôme Chmeleff
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 14 Avenue E. Belin, 31400, Toulouse, France
| | - José Darrozes
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 14 Avenue E. Belin, 31400, Toulouse, France
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Zhang H, Zeng H, Jiang Y, Xie Z, Xu X, Ding M, Wang P. Using the compound system to synthetically evaluate the enrichment of heavy metal(loid)s in a subtropical basin, China. Environ Pollut 2020; 256:113396. [PMID: 31784272 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
A compound system involving three matrices (water, sediment, and paddy soil) was conceived to determine the potential sources of metal(loid)s (Ti, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, and U) and synthetically evaluate their pollution levels in the Le'an River basin. The result indicated that the established background values (BVs) of paddy soil and sediment in the compound system were obviously higher than those of the upper continental crust (UCC) and soils from Jiangxi Province, a difference which was especially marked for sediment. The concentrations of Cu, Zn, As, Cd in the system had high coefficients of variation (CVs), and metal(loid)s in sediment showed higher levels than those in paddy soil, except for Pb. Cd and Cu in the system had the highest Ef levels, which probably pose a high risk to organisms and the health of local residents. There were significantly linear relationships between the site rank index (SRI) for water and that for sediment or paddy soil, revealing that matrices in the system interacted with each other. Principal component analysis (PCA) and absolute principal component scores and multiple linear regression model (APCS-MLR) results demonstrated that Cu, Zn, As, Cu, Pb, and U enrichments in the system were mainly affected by mining activities and were predominately deposited in sediment. Point pollution sources rather than non-point pollution sources such as mining activities, contributed most of the anthropogenic metal(loid)s to sediment. Both SRI and Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) results visually showed that S5, S8, S9, S10, S11, and S12 severe pollution grouped together and scattered through areas with extensive mining activities, while other sites with moderate pollution were spread along the main stream of the Le'an River.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education/School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China; Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Comprehensive Management and Resource Development, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China.
| | - Huan Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education/School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China
| | - Yinghui Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education/School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China
| | - Zhenglei Xie
- College of Marine Science & Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xiaoling Xu
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education/School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China
| | - Mingjun Ding
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education/School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China; Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Comprehensive Management and Resource Development, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China
| | - Peng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education/School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China; Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Comprehensive Management and Resource Development, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China
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Ji X, Abakumov E, Polyako V, Xie X, Dongyang W. The ecological impact of mineral exploitation in the Russian Arctic: A field-scale study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in permafrost-affected soils and lichens of the Yamal-Nenets autonomous region. Environ Pollut 2019; 255:113239. [PMID: 31542666 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Forty soil and lichen samples and sixteen soil horizon samples were collected in the mining and surrounding areas of the Yamal-Nenets autonomous region (Russian Arctic). The positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was used for the source identification of PAHs. The results of the source identification showed that the mining activity was the major source of PAHs in the area, and that the mining influenced the surrounding natural area. The 5+6-ring PAHs were most abundant in the mining area. The lichen/soil (L/S) results showed that 2+3-ring and 4-ring PAHs could be transported by air and accumulated more in lichens than in the soil, while 5+6-ring PAHs accumulated more in the soil. Strong relationships between the quotient of soil/lichen (QSL) and Log KOA and Log PL and between the quotient of lichen/histic horizon soil and KOW were observed. In addition, hydrogeological conditions influenced the downward transport of PAHs. Particularly surprising is the discovery of the high levels of 5 + 6 rings in the permafrost table (the bottom of the active layer). One hypothesis is given that the global climate change may lead to further depth of active layer so that PAHs may migrate to the deeper permafrost. In the impact area of mining activities, the soil inventory for 5+6-ring PAHs was estimated at 0.14 ± 0.017 tons on average.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowen Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, PR China; Department of Applied Ecology, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, 199178, Russian Federation
| | - Evgeny Abakumov
- Department of Applied Ecology, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, 199178, Russian Federation
| | - Vyacheslav Polyako
- Department of Applied Ecology, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, 199178, Russian Federation; Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Saint Petersburg, 199397, Russian Federation; Department of Soil Science and Agrochemistry, Saint-Petersburg State Agrarian University, Pushkin, Saint Petersburg, 19660, Russian Federation
| | - Xianchuan Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, PR China.
| | - Wei Dongyang
- South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection Guangzhou, 510530, PR China
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28
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Blondet I, Schreck E, Viers J, Casas S, Jubany I, Bahí N, Zouiten C, Dufréchou G, Freydier R, Galy-Lacaux C, Martínez-Martínez S, Faz A, Soriano-Disla M, Acosta JA, Darrozes J. Atmospheric dust characterisation in the mining district of Cartagena-La Unión, Spain: Air quality and health risks assessment. Sci Total Environ 2019; 693:133496. [PMID: 31376752 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Nowadays, air pollution has a major impact on the environment and human health. Owen gauges allow the sampling of atmospheric depositions in polluted sites for further characterisation. This paper shows the study of the air particles of an old mining zone in Cartagena-La Unión (South-east of Spain) in order to quantify their potential risk on human health. There were 4 strategic sites monitored: the main mining tailing (Avenque), the urban area (La Unión), an agricultural zone (formerly mining) and a site in the Mediterranean coast. Physico-chemical and mineralogical characterisation was applied to atmospheric fallouts. The granulometry revealed a dust particle size around 15 μm, with the coarsest particles in the urban area and the thinnest at the tailing site. XRD analyses showed the presence of quartz, carbonates, sulphides and sulphates. Observations with SEM-EDX confirmed chemical spectra and allowed us to classify the particles into well-crystallised minerals and heterogeneous dusts. Total metal content determination was carried out by ICP-MS analyses and results showed Zn, Pb, As and Cd fluxes (respectively 2549, 1275, 68 and 7 μg·m-2·d-1) exceeding the limit values set by European legislations in the mining area. The fluxes of Zn, Pb and As also exceed these standards in the urban area whereas the coastal zone only exceeds the thresholds in the case of As. Inhalation health risk (defined by US EPA, 2009) was quantified in the sites using total and bioaccessible metal contents of the dusts. Risk calculations using total metal content considering a residential scenario showed acceptable risk for all sites except for the mining tailing which presented non-acceptable cancer and hazard risk mainly due to the total As and Pb contents. When considering the bioaccessible fraction of As and Pb, the risk diminished to acceptable values, demonstrating the overestimation produced when using total metal contents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isalyne Blondet
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 14 avenue E. Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Eva Schreck
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 14 avenue E. Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France.
| | - Jérôme Viers
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 14 avenue E. Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Sandra Casas
- EURECAT, Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya, Plaça de la Ciència 2, 08243 Manresa, Spain
| | - Irene Jubany
- EURECAT, Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya, Plaça de la Ciència 2, 08243 Manresa, Spain
| | - Neus Bahí
- EURECAT, Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya, Plaça de la Ciència 2, 08243 Manresa, Spain
| | - Cyril Zouiten
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 14 avenue E. Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Grégory Dufréchou
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 14 avenue E. Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Rémi Freydier
- HydroSciences UMR 5569, CNRS, Universités Montpellier I & II, IRD, Place Eugène Bataillon, CC MSE, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Corinne Galy-Lacaux
- Laboratoire d'Aérologie, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, CNRS, France
| | - Silvia Martínez-Martínez
- Sustainable Use, Management and Reclamation of Soil and Water Research Group (GARSA), Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII, 48, 30203 Cartagena, Spain
| | - Angel Faz
- Sustainable Use, Management and Reclamation of Soil and Water Research Group (GARSA), Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII, 48, 30203 Cartagena, Spain
| | - Martin Soriano-Disla
- Sustainable Use, Management and Reclamation of Soil and Water Research Group (GARSA), Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII, 48, 30203 Cartagena, Spain
| | - Jose A Acosta
- Sustainable Use, Management and Reclamation of Soil and Water Research Group (GARSA), Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII, 48, 30203 Cartagena, Spain
| | - José Darrozes
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 14 avenue E. Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
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Huang H, Chen Z, Wang T, Zhang L, Zhou G, Sun B, Wang Y. Characteristics and processes of hydrogeochemical evolution induced by long-term mining activities in karst aquifers, southwestern China. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2019; 26:30055-30068. [PMID: 31414390 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-05984-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Long-term mining activities reshape the hydraulic and hydrochemical field, and threaten the safe use of groundwater and ecosystem balance. Here, we concluded the evolution characteristics and processes of karst groundwater system based on the water level and hydrochemistry data of the Carboniferous and Devonian aquifer in Maoping lead-zinc deposit, a representative in southwestern China. After concentrated mining lasting for nearly three decades, this mining area has generated a huge depression cone coupled with decreased level, changed flowpath, massive drainage, and direct hydraulic connection across the aquiclude. However, these two sets of karst aquifers exhibited distinct hydrochemical evolution patterns in particular with respect to sulfate. SO42- and the total dissolved solids (TDS) increased slightly in the Carboniferous aquifer and maintained the hydrochemical type of HCO3 and HCO3·SO4. While, SO42- and TDS in the Devonian aquifer decreased drastically, and the hydrochemical type was converted from SO4 and SO4·HCO3 to HCO3 and HCO3·SO4. Before concentrated mining, pyrite oxidation and dissolution of carbonate minerals mutually promoted each other in sluggish groundwater flow, then generated abnormally high concentrations of SO42-, Ca2+, and Mg2+ in Devonian karst aquifer, causing an illusion of saturation state of gypsum dissolution. At present, SO42- is mainly derived from pyrite oxidation indicated by sulfur isotope except deep groundwater contributed by gypsum dissolution. Groundwater quality in the Devonian aquifer was improved together by the dilution of northern shallow groundwater from the external Carboniferous aquifer and upward recharge of southern deep groundwater itself. Results of principal component analysis (PCA) verified the different recharge resources and mixing process resulted from continuous mining activities, which were the driving forces of hydrochemical evolution. Qualitatively speaking, the disturbing degree of the hydrodynamic field was consistent with the variation degree of hydrochemical filed. This research shed light upon the groundwater system and its evolution induced by intensive mining, which will benefit the future mining project.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Huang
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Zhihua Chen
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.
| | - Tao Wang
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Liang Zhang
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Gaoming Zhou
- Yiliang Chihong Mining Co., Ltd., Zhaotong, 657500, China
| | - Bangtao Sun
- Yiliang Chihong Mining Co., Ltd., Zhaotong, 657500, China
| | - Yong Wang
- Yiliang Chihong Mining Co., Ltd., Zhaotong, 657500, China
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Affandi FA, Ishak MY. Impacts of suspended sediment and metal pollution from mining activities on riverine fish population-a review. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2019; 26:16939-16951. [PMID: 31028621 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-05137-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Mining activities are responsible for the elevated input levels of suspended sediment and hazardous metals into the riverine ecosystem. These have been shown to threaten the riverine fish populations and can even lead to localized population extinction. To date, research on the effects of mining activities on fish has been focused within metal contamination and bioaccumulation and its threat to human consumption, neglecting the effects of suspended sediment. This paper reviews the effects of suspended sediment and metal pollution on riverine ecosystem and fish population by examining the possibilities of genetic changes and population extinction. In addition, possible assessments and studies of the riverine fish population are discussed to cope with the risks from mining activities and fish population declines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhana Ahmad Affandi
- Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Yusoff Ishak
- Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
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Tang ZH, Ouyang TP, Li MK, Huang NS, Kuang YQ, Hu Q, Zhu ZY. Potential effects of exploiting the Yunfu pyrite mine (southern China) on soil: evidence from analyzing trace elements in surface soil. Environ Monit Assess 2019; 191:395. [PMID: 31123882 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-019-7523-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Trace element contamination caused by mining is a serious environmental problem. The potential effects of exploiting the Yunfu pyrite mine (southern China) on soil were investigated by determining trace elements in 56 surface soil samples from the vicinity of the Yunfu pyrite mine. The samples were acid dissolved and measured by an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to identify factors influencing the trace element contents and possible sources of the trace elements. The degree of trace element pollution was determined using the geological accumulation index Igeo. Monte Carlo simulations were used to assess the health risks posed. The results show that (1) six factors (parent material, mining activities, ore composition, rainfall, terrain, and other inputs) strongly affected the trace element contents of the soil samples. (2) There were three groups of trace elements, according to their possible sources. One group (Cs, Ga, Ge, Hf, Nb, Rb, Ta, Th, Ti, U, and Zr) mainly originated in parent rocks. Another group (Cr, Ni, Sr, and V) was mainly supplied by industrial plants and traffic emissions. The third group (Ba, Co, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn) was mainly supplied through pyrite ore exploitation processes. (3) Some samples were slightly to moderately polluted with Cs, Ga, Ge, Nb, Rb, Ta, and Ti. Most samples were moderately to highly polluted with Ba, Co, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn. (4) Trace elements in soil pose strong non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks to people (particularly children) living near the Yunfu pyrite mine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Hua Tang
- Integrated Technology Center, Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
- Key Laboratory of Ocean and Marginal Sea Geology, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Ting-Ping Ouyang
- Key Laboratory of Ocean and Marginal Sea Geology, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
- School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
| | - Ming-Kun Li
- Key Laboratory of Ocean and Marginal Sea Geology, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
- School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Ning-Sheng Huang
- Key Laboratory of Ocean and Marginal Sea Geology, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Yao-Qiu Kuang
- Key Laboratory of Ocean and Marginal Sea Geology, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Qiao Hu
- Key Laboratory of Ocean and Marginal Sea Geology, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Zhao-Yu Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Ocean and Marginal Sea Geology, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
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Li L, Liu H, Li H. Distribution and migration of antimony and other trace elements in a Karstic river system, Southwest China. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2018; 25:28061-28074. [PMID: 30066079 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-2837-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Antimony (Sb) usually occurs associated with arsenic, lead, and other metal elements in sulfide deposits, and most is currently being extracted from the Karst areas, southwest China. In these areas, the acid generated from the oxidative dissolution of sulfide minerals is neutralized by the abundant carbonates but little is known about the effect of this process on the geochemical behavior of Sb and other contaminants. In this study, physicochemical properties (pH, EC) and the trace elements (Sb, As, Cu, Pb, Zn, Sr, etc.) concentrations in waters from mining-impacted Karstic environments were determined in order to determine their distribution and migration potential. It was found that pH values ranged from 6.51 to 9.82, and EC values varied from 369 to 1705 μs·cm-1 in river water samples. Waters of various types such as adit waters, flotation drainage, leaching waters, and river waters all contained high concentrations of dissolved trace elements, reaching up to 5475 μg·L-1Sb, 1877 μg·L-1As, 10,371 μg·L-1Zn, 1309 μg·L-1 Pb, 46 μg·L-1 Cu, and 1757 μg·L-1 Sr. The elevated concentrations of dissolved Sr indicated that Sr could be considered as an indicator of oxidative dissolution of sulfide minerals in the Karst rivers. A proportion of the trace elements were removed in the streams in the vicinity of the mine due to adsorption onto particulate matter, whereas migration of trace elements in the downstream of mine area was attributed to dispersion in dissolved forms. Strontium and Sb have a strong hydrophilicity compared to the other elements analyzed; in contrast, Pb had a high affinity for suspended particulate matter (SPM). It was also found that downstream sediments had elevated concentrations of mining-derived trace elements, but there was a significant decrease in concentration of contaminants in aqueous phase, suggesting that contaminant behavior was conservative in the water-sediment systems under the oxic conditions prevailing in these waters. There was a good correlation between Sb and As in water-SPM-sediment system, indicating that Sb and As are homologous in water environment of the study area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, Guizhou, China.
- Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, Guizhou, China.
| | - Hong Liu
- Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, Guizhou, China
| | - Haixia Li
- College of Politics and Law, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, Shanxi, China
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Cunha CSM, da Silva YJAB, Escobar MEO, do Nascimento CWA. Spatial variability and geochemistry of rare earth elements in soils from the largest uranium-phosphate deposit of Brazil. Environ Geochem Health 2018; 40:1629-1643. [PMID: 29470688 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-018-0077-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 02/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The Itataia uranium-phosphate deposit is the largest uranium reserve in Brazil. Rare earth elements (REEs) are commonly associated with phosphate deposits; however, there are no studies on the concentrations of REEs in soils of the Itataia deposit region. Thus, the objective of the research was to evaluate the concentration and spatial variability of REEs in topsoils of Itataia phosphate deposit region. In addition, the influence of soil properties on the geochemistry of REEs was investigated. Results showed that relatively high mean concentrations (mg kg-1) of heavy REEs (Gd 6.01; Tb 1.25; Ho 1.15; Er 4.05; Tm 0.64; Yb 4.61; Lu 0.65) were found in surface soils samples. Soil properties showed weak influence on the geochemical behavior of REEs in soils, except for the clay content. On the other hand, parent material characteristics, such as P and U, had strong influence on REEs concentrations. Spatial distribution patterns of REEs in soils are clearly associated with P and U contents. Therefore, geochemical surveys aiming at the delineation of ore-bearing zones in the region can benefit from our data. The results of this work reinforce the perspective for co-mining of P, U and REEs in this important P-U reserve.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ygor Jacques Agra Bezerra da Silva
- Agronomy Department, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Dom Manuel de Medeiros Street, s/n - Dois Irmãos, Recife, PE, 52171-900, Brazil
| | - Maria Eugenia Ortiz Escobar
- Soil Science Department, Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Av. Mister Hull, s/n, Campus do Pici, Fortaleza, CE, 60455760, Brazil
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Hédouin L, Metian M, Teyssié JL, Fichez R, Warnau M. High contribution of the particulate uptake pathway to metal bioaccumulation in the tropical marine clam Gafrarium pectinatum. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2018; 25:11206-11218. [PMID: 28281054 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-8562-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The clam Gafrarium pectinatum was investigated to assess its usefulness as a bioindicator species of metal mining contamination in the New Caledonia lagoon. The uptake and depuration kinetics of Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, and Zn were determined following exposures via seawater, sediment, and food using highly sensitive radiotracer techniques (110mAg, 109Cd, 51Cr, 57Co, and 65Zn). When the clams were exposed to dissolved metals, Co, Zn, and Ag were readily incorporated in their tissues (concentration factors (CF) ranging from 181 to 4982 after 28 days of exposure) and all metals were strongly retained (biological half-lives always >2 months). The estimated transfer factor (TF) in clam tissues after a 35-day sediment exposure was 1 to 4 orders of magnitude lower than the estimated CF, indicating a lower bioavailability of sediment-bound metals than dissolved ones. Once incorporated, metals taken up from sediment and seawater were retained longer than metals ingested with food, indicating that the uptake pathway influences the storage processes of metals in clam tissues. Compilation of our data into a global bioaccumulation model indicated that, except for Ag that essentially originated from food (92%), sediment was the main source of metal bioaccumulation in the clam (more than 80%). These results highlight that bioaccumulation processes strongly depend from one metal to the other. The overall efficient bioaccumulation and retention capacities of the clam G. pectinatum confirm its usefulness as a bioindicator species that can provide time-integrated information about ambient contamination levels in the tropical marine coastal environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laetitia Hédouin
- International Atomic Energy Agency-Environment Laboratories (IAEA-EL), 4a Quai Antoine Ier, MC-98000, Monaco, Principality of Monaco.
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 6250 CNRS, Université La Rochelle, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17042, La Rochelle Cedex 01, France.
- Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS/INSU, Université de Toulon, IRD, UM 110, 13288, Marseille, France.
- USR378 EPHE CNRS UPVD-CRIOBE, Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, BP1013, 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia.
- PSL Research University: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Laboratoire d'Excellence «CORAIL», PSL Research University, BP 1013, 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia.
| | - Marc Metian
- International Atomic Energy Agency-Environment Laboratories (IAEA-EL), 4a Quai Antoine Ier, MC-98000, Monaco, Principality of Monaco
| | - Jean-Louis Teyssié
- International Atomic Energy Agency-Environment Laboratories (IAEA-EL), 4a Quai Antoine Ier, MC-98000, Monaco, Principality of Monaco
| | - Renaud Fichez
- Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS/INSU, Université de Toulon, IRD, UM 110, 13288, Marseille, France
| | - Michel Warnau
- International Atomic Energy Agency-Environment Laboratories (IAEA-EL), 4a Quai Antoine Ier, MC-98000, Monaco, Principality of Monaco
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Alsaleh KAM, Meuser H, Usman ARA, Al-Wabel MI, Al-Farraj AS. A comparison of two digestion methods for assessing heavy metals level in urban soils influenced by mining and industrial activities. J Environ Manage 2018; 206:731-739. [PMID: 29161675 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.11.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 11/09/2017] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
A comparison between two digestion methods of hot plate Hossner (total-total) and USEPA method 3051 (total-recoverable) was carried out to suggest a proper method for determining nine heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) content of three urban soils affected by mining (Mahd AD'Dahab) or industrial activities (Riyadh and Jubail) at Saudi Arabia. The results showed no significant differences between two digestion methods for Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in soils affected by mining and for Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn in soils affected by industrial activities. Additionally, lower biases were obtained between two methods for metals Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb in the urban soil samples from mining area with the percent biases of -16.5%, +6.24%, -12.4% and +24.1%, respectively. The results also revealed that only Cu and Zn in the soil samples from Riyadh were extracted satisfactorily using USEPA 3051 with low biases of +5.69% and -9.61%, respectively. Meanwhile, only Pb in soil samples from Jubail showed lower baise between two methods with satisfactory biase of -8.07%. The correlation coefficients were significant between total-recoverable and total-total concentrations for Cu (r = 0.66), Pb (r = 0.72) and Cd (r = 0.65) in soil samples from mining area. Overall, concentrations of Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, and Ni that may show soil background concentrations were found higher by Hossner method than by USEPA 3051; thus, this suggests the addition of hydrofluoric acid (HF) is necessary for the determination of lithogenic metal concentrations. It could be concluded that the USEPA 3051 may be recommended and applied for total Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn originated from anthropogenic source in mining and industrial areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled A M Alsaleh
- Department Environmental Technology, Riyahd College of Technology, Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC), Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Adel R A Usman
- Soil Science Department, King Saud University, POBox: 2460, Riyahd, 11451, Saudi Arabia; Department of Soils and Water, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, Assiut, 71526, Egypt
| | - Mohammad I Al-Wabel
- Soil Science Department, King Saud University, POBox: 2460, Riyahd, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah S Al-Farraj
- Soil Science Department, King Saud University, POBox: 2460, Riyahd, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
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Li X, Wu P, Han Z, Zha X, Ye H, Qin Y. Effects of mining activities on evolution of water quality of karst waters in Midwestern Guizhou, China: evidences from hydrochemistry and isotopic composition. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2018; 25:1220-1230. [PMID: 29082473 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0488-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Zhijin coal-mining district, located in Midwestern Guizhou Province, has been extensively exploited for several decades. The discharge of acid mine drainage (AMD) has constituted a serious threat to local water environmental quality, which greatly affected the normal use of local people. The Permian limestone aquifer is the essential potable water supply for local people, which covered under the widely distributed coal seams. To investigate the origin of the water, the evolutionary processes, and the sources of dissolved sulfate in the karst waters, the mine water, surface water, and groundwater near the coal mines were sampled for stable isotopes (H, O, and S) and conventional hydrochemical analysis. The results of hydrochemistry and isotopic composition indicate that the regional surface water and partial karst groundwater are obviously affected by coal-mining activities, which is mainly manifested in the increase of water solute concentration and the change of hydrochemical types. The isotopic composition of δ2HH2O and δ18OH2O indicates that the major recharge source of surface water and the groundwater is atmospheric precipitation and that it is influenced obviously by evaporation in the recharge process. The surface water is mainly controlled by the oxidation of pyrite, as well as the dissolution of carbonate rocks, whereas that of natural karst waters is influenced by the dissolution of carbonate rocks. The resulting δ34SSO4 values suggest that the dissolved sulfate source in the surface water is mainly pyrite oxidation but atmospheric precipitation for the karst groundwater. Given the similar chemistry and isotopic composition between surface water and partial groundwater, it is reasonable to assume that most of the dissolved sulfate source in part of the groundwater was derived through the oxidation of pyrite in the coal. Furthermore, the contamination of the surface water and partial groundwater from the coal seam has occurred distinctly in the catchment, which is enriched in SO42- and is mostly depleted δ34S in sulfate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuexian Li
- College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, 550025, China
| | - Pan Wu
- College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, 550025, China.
- Key laboratory of Karst Environment and Geohazard, Ministry of Land and Resources, Guiyang, 550025, China.
| | - Zhiwei Han
- College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, 550025, China
| | - Xuefang Zha
- Key laboratory of Karst Environment and Geohazard, Ministry of Land and Resources, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Huijun Ye
- College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, 550025, China
| | - Yingji Qin
- College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, 550025, China
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37
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Barmentlo SH, van Gestel CAM, Álvarez-Rogel J, González-Alcaraz MN. Influence of climate change on the multi-generation toxicity to Enchytraeus crypticus of soils polluted by metal/metalloid mining wastes. Environ Pollut 2017; 222:101-108. [PMID: 28073585 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.12.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Revised: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 12/29/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed at assessing the effects of increased air temperature and reduced soil moisture content on the multi-generation toxicity of a soil polluted by metal/metalloid mining wastes. Enchytraeus crypticus was exposed to dilution series of the polluted soil in Lufa 2.2 soil under different combinations of air temperature (20 °C and 25 °C) and soil moisture content (50% and 30% of the soil water holding capacity, WHC) over three generations standardized on physiological time. Generation time was shorter with increasing air temperature and/or soil moisture content. Adult survival was only affected at 30% WHC (∼30% reduction at the highest percentages of polluted soil). Reproduction decreased with increasing percentage of polluted soil in a dose-related manner and over generations. Toxicity increased at 30% WHC (>50% reduction in EC50 in F0 and F1 generations) and over generations in the treatments at 20 °C (40-60% reduction in EC50 in F2 generation). At 25 °C, toxicity did not change when combined with 30% WHC and only slightly increased with 50% WHC. So, higher air temperature and/or reduced soil moisture content does affect the toxicity of soils polluted by metal/metalloid mining wastes to E. crypticus and this effect may exacerbate over generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Henrik Barmentlo
- Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Cornelis A M van Gestel
- Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - José Álvarez-Rogel
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología Agraria, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII 48, 30203 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain.
| | - M Nazaret González-Alcaraz
- Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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González-Alcaraz MN, van Gestel CAM. Metal/metalloid (As, Cd and Zn) bioaccumulation in the earthworm Eisenia andrei under different scenarios of climate change. Environ Pollut 2016; 215:178-186. [PMID: 27182979 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Revised: 05/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/07/2016] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed at assessing the effects of global warming (increasing air temperature and decreasing soil moisture content) on the bioaccumulation kinetics of As, Cd and Zn in the earthworm Eisenia andrei in two polluted soils (mine tailing and watercourse soil). Earthworms were exposed for up to 21 d under four climate conditions: 20 °C + 50% soil water holding capacity (WHC) (standard conditions), 20 °C + 30% WHC, 25 °C + 50% WHC and 25 °C + 30% WHC. Porewater metal/metalloid availability did not change in the mine tailing soil after the incubation period under the different climate conditions tested. However, in the watercourse soil, porewater Cd concentrations decreased from ∼63 to ∼32-41 μg L(-1) after 21 d and Zn concentrations from ∼3761 to ∼1613-2170 μg L(-1), especially at 20 °C and 50% WHC. In both soils, As and Zn showed similar bioaccumulation patterns in the earthworms, without major differences among climate conditions. Earthworm concentrations peaked after 1-3 d of exposure (in μg g(-1) dry weight: As∼32.5-108, Zn∼704-1172) and then remained constant (typical pattern of essential elements even for As). For Cd the bioaccumulation pattern changed when changing the climate conditions. Under standard conditions, earthworm Cd concentrations increased to ∼12.6-18.5 μg g(-1) dry weight without reaching equilibrium (typical pattern of non-essential elements). However when increasing temperature and/or decreasing soil moisture content the bioaccumulation pattern changed towards that more typical of essential elements due to increased Cd elimination rates (from ∼0.11 to ∼0.24-1.27 d(-1) in the mine tailing soil, from ∼0.07 to ∼0.11-0.35 d(-1) in the watercourse soil) and faster achievement of a steady state. This study shows that metal/metalloid bioaccumulation pattern in earthworms may change dependent on climate conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Nazaret González-Alcaraz
- Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Cornelis A M van Gestel
- Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Wang L, Liang T. Anomalous abundance and redistribution patterns of rare earth elements in soils of a mining area in Inner Mongolia, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2016; 23:11330-11338. [PMID: 26931660 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-6351-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The Bayan Obo Mine, the largest rare earth element (REE) deposit ever found in the world, has been mined for nearly 60 years for iron and rare earth elements. To assess the influences of mining activities on geochemical behavior of REEs in soils, 27 surface soil samples and three soil profile samples were collected from different directions in the vicinity of the mine area. The total concentrations of REEs in surface soils varied from 149.75 to 18,891.81 mg kg(-1) with an average value of 1906.12 mg kg(-1), which was apparently higher than the average values in China (181 mg kg(-1)). The order of the average concentrations of individual REEs in surface soils was similar to that in Bayan Obo ores, which confirmed that the concentration and distribution of REEs in the soils was influenced by the mining activities. The concentrations of single REE in the soil profiles showed a similar trend with depth with an increase at 0-25 cm section, then decreased and remained relatively stable in the deep part. The normalized curves inclined to the right side, showing the conspicuous fractionation between the light and heavy REEs, which supported by the North American Shale Composite (NASC) and Post-Archean Australian Shale (PAAS) normalized concentration ratios calculated for selected elements (La N /Yb N , La N /Sm N , Gd N /Yb N ). Slight positive Ce anomaly and negative Eu anomaly were also observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingqing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Tao Liang
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
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González-Alcaraz MN, van Gestel CAM. Climate change effects on enchytraeid performance in metal-polluted soils explained from changes in metal bioavailability and bioaccumulation. Environ Res 2015; 142:177-184. [PMID: 26162961 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2015.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Revised: 06/18/2015] [Accepted: 06/21/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Climate change may alter physical, chemical and biological properties of ecosystems, affecting organisms but also the fate of chemical pollutants. This study aimed to find out how changes in climate conditions (air temperature, soil moisture content) affect the toxicity of metal-polluted soils to the soft-bodied soil organism Enchytraeus crypticus, linking enchytraeid performance with changes in soil available and body metal concentrations. Bioassays with E. crypticus were performed under different combinations of air temperature (20 and 25 °C) and soil moisture content (50% and 30% of the soil water holding capacity, WHC) in dilution series of three metal-polluted soils (mine tailing, forest and watercourse). After 21 d exposure, enchytraeid reproduction was determined, and soil available (extracted with 0.01 M CaCl2) and body Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations in surviving adults were determined. In general, Cd, Pb and Zn availability decreased upon incubation under the different climate scenarios. In the watercourse soil, with initially higher available metal concentrations (678 µg Cd kg(-1), 807 µg Pb kg(-1) and 31,020 µg Zn kg(-1)), decreases were greatest at 50% WHC probably due to metal immobilization as carbonates. Enchytraeid reproduction was negatively affected by higher available metal concentrations, with reductions up to 98% in the watercourse soil compared to the control soil at 30% WHC. Bioaccumulation of Cd, Pb and Zn was higher when drier conditions were combined with the higher temperature of 25 °C. Changes in metal bioavailability and bioaccumulation explained the toxicity of soil polluted by metal mine wastes to enchytraeids under changing environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Nazaret González-Alcaraz
- Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Cornelis A M van Gestel
- Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Coelho P, García-Lestón J, Costa S, Costa C, Silva S, Fuchs D, Geisler S, Dall'Armi V, Zoffoli R, Bonassi S, Pásaro E, Laffon B, Teixeira JP. Immunological alterations in individuals exposed to metal(loid)s in the Panasqueira mining area, Central Portugal. Sci Total Environ 2014; 475:1-7. [PMID: 24419281 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.12.093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2013] [Revised: 12/09/2013] [Accepted: 12/18/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Environmental studies performed in Panasqueira mine area (central Portugal) identified high concentrations of several metal(loid)s in environmental media, and individuals environmentally and occupationally exposed showed higher levels of As, Cr, Mg, Mn, Mo, Pb and Zn in blood, urine, hair and nails when compared to unexposed controls. To evaluate the presence of immunological alterations attributable to environmental contamination, we quantified neopterin, kynurenine, tryptophan, and nitrite concentrations in plasma, and analysed the percentage of several lymphocytes subsets, namely CD3(+), CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cells, CD19(+) B-cells, and CD16(+)56(+) natural killer (NK) cells in a group of individuals previously tested for metal(loid) levels in different biological matrices. The environmentally exposed group had significantly lower levels of %CD8(+) and higher CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratios, whereas the occupationally exposed individuals showed significant decreases in %CD3(+) and %CD4(+), and significant increases in %CD16(+)56(+), when compared to controls. Analysed biomarkers were found to be influenced by age, particularly neopterin, kynurenine and kynurenine to tryptophan ratio (Kyn/Trp) with significantly higher levels in older individuals, and %CD3(+), %CD8(+) and %CD19(+) with significantly lower values in older individuals. Males environmentally exposed showed significantly lower values of %CD19(+) when compared to control females. The concentration of Pb in toenails was associated to the level of neopterin, kynurenine and Kyn/Trp ratio (all direct), and the concentration of Mn in blood to the level of %CD8(+), %CD19(+) (both inverse) and CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio (direct). Overall our results show that the metal(loid) contamination in Panasqueira mine area induced immunotoxic effects in exposed populations, possibly increasing susceptibility to diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia Coelho
- National Institute of Health, Environmental Health Department, Rua Alexandre Herculano n321, 4000-055 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Julia García-Lestón
- Toxicology Unit, Department of Psychobiology, University of A Coruña, Campus Elviña s/n, 15071 A Coruña, Spain.
| | - Solange Costa
- National Institute of Health, Environmental Health Department, Rua Alexandre Herculano n321, 4000-055 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Carla Costa
- National Institute of Health, Environmental Health Department, Rua Alexandre Herculano n321, 4000-055 Porto, Portugal; Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Rua das Taipas n135, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Susana Silva
- National Institute of Health, Environmental Health Department, Rua Alexandre Herculano n321, 4000-055 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Dietmar Fuchs
- Division of Biological Chemistry, Biocenter, Innsbruck Medical University, Center for Chemistry and Biomedicine, Innrain 80, 4th Floor, Room M04-313, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Simon Geisler
- Division of Biological Chemistry, Biocenter, Innsbruck Medical University, Center for Chemistry and Biomedicine, Innrain 80, 4th Floor, Room M04-313, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Valentina Dall'Armi
- Unit of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico San Raffaele Pisana, Via di Val Cannuta, 247, 00166 Roma, Italy.
| | - Roberto Zoffoli
- Unit of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico San Raffaele Pisana, Via di Val Cannuta, 247, 00166 Roma, Italy.
| | - Stefano Bonassi
- Unit of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico San Raffaele Pisana, Via di Val Cannuta, 247, 00166 Roma, Italy.
| | - Eduardo Pásaro
- Toxicology Unit, Department of Psychobiology, University of A Coruña, Campus Elviña s/n, 15071 A Coruña, Spain.
| | - Blanca Laffon
- Toxicology Unit, Department of Psychobiology, University of A Coruña, Campus Elviña s/n, 15071 A Coruña, Spain.
| | - João Paulo Teixeira
- National Institute of Health, Environmental Health Department, Rua Alexandre Herculano n321, 4000-055 Porto, Portugal; Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Rua das Taipas n135, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal.
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Alvarenga P, Simões I, Palma P, Amaral O, Matos JX. Field study on the accumulation of trace elements by vegetables produced in the vicinity of abandoned pyrite mines. Sci Total Environ 2014; 470-471:1233-1242. [PMID: 24252198 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.10.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2013] [Revised: 10/18/2013] [Accepted: 10/25/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
To evaluate the accumulation of trace elements (TE) by vegetables produced in the vicinity of abandoned pyrite mines, eighteen different small farms were selected near three mines from the Portuguese sector of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (São Domingos, Aljustrel and Lousal). Total and bioavailable As, Cu, Pb, and Zn concentrations were analyzed in the soils, and the same TE were analyzed in three different vegetables, lettuce (Lactuca sativa), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), and cabbage (Brassica oleracea), collected at the same locations. The soils were contaminated with As, Cu, Pb, and Zn, since their total concentrations exceeded the considered soil quality guideline values for plant production in the majority of the sampling sites. The maximum total concentrations for those TE were extremely high in some of the sampling sites (e.g. 1,851 mg As kg(-1) in São Domingos, 1,126 mg Cu kg(-1) in Aljustrel, 4,946 mg Pb kg(-1) in São Domingos, and 1,224 mg Zn kg(-1) in Aljustrel). However, the soils were mainly circumneutral, a factor that contributes to their low bioavailable fractions. As a result, generally, the plants contained levels of these elements characteristic of uncontaminated plants, and accumulation factors for all elements <1, typical of excluder plants. Furthermore, the estimated daily intake (EDI) for Cu and Zn, through the consumption of these vegetables, falls below the recommended upper limit for daily intake of these elements. The sampling site that stood out from the others was located at São João de Negrilhos (Aljustrel), where bioavailable Zn levels were higher, a consequence of the slight acidity of the soil. Therefore, the Zn content in vegetables was also higher, characteristic of contaminated plants, emphasizing the risk of Zn entering the human food chain via the consumption of crops produced on those soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Alvarenga
- Departamento de Tecnologias e Ciências Aplicadas, Escola Superior Agrária, Instituto Politécnico de Beja, Rua Pedro Soares S/N, Apartado 6155, 7800-295 Beja, Portugal; UIQA - Unidade de Investigação Química Ambiental, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Isabel Simões
- Departamento de Tecnologias e Ciências Aplicadas, Escola Superior Agrária, Instituto Politécnico de Beja, Rua Pedro Soares S/N, Apartado 6155, 7800-295 Beja, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Palma
- Departamento de Tecnologias e Ciências Aplicadas, Escola Superior Agrária, Instituto Politécnico de Beja, Rua Pedro Soares S/N, Apartado 6155, 7800-295 Beja, Portugal; CIMA - Centro de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, CIMA, FCT, Edifício 7, Piso 1, Universidade do Algarve, Campus Universitário de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Olga Amaral
- Departamento de Tecnologias e Ciências Aplicadas, Escola Superior Agrária, Instituto Politécnico de Beja, Rua Pedro Soares S/N, Apartado 6155, 7800-295 Beja, Portugal
| | - João Xavier Matos
- Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia, U. Recursos Minerais e Geofísica, Beja, Portugal
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Coelho P, García-Lestón J, Costa S, Costa C, Silva S, Dall'Armi V, Zoffoli R, Bonassi S, de Lima JP, Gaspar JF, Pásaro E, Laffon B, Teixeira JP. Genotoxic effect of exposure to metal(loid)s. A molecular epidemiology survey of populations living and working in Panasqueira mine area, Portugal. Environ Int 2013; 60:163-170. [PMID: 24036326 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2013.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2013] [Revised: 08/13/2013] [Accepted: 08/18/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies investigating the exposure to metal(loid)s of populations living in the Panasqueira mine area of central Portugal found a higher internal dose of elements such as arsenic, chromium, lead, manganese, molybdenum and zinc in exposed individuals. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the extent of genotoxic damage caused by environmental and occupational exposure in individuals previously tested for metal(loid) levels in different biological matrices, and the possible modulating role of genetic polymorphisms involved in metabolism and DNA repair. T-cell receptor mutation assay, comet assay, micronucleus (MN) test and chromosomal aberrations (CA) were performed in a group of 122 subjects working in the Panasqueira mine or living in the same region. The modifying effect of polymorphisms in GSTA2, GSTM1, GSTP1, GSTT1, XRCC1, APEX1, MPG, MUTYH, OGG1, PARP1, PARP4, ERCC1, ERCC4, and ERCC5 genes was investigated. Significant increases in the frequency of all biomarkers investigated were found in exposed groups, however those environmentally exposed were generally higher. Significant influences of polymorphisms were observed for GSTM1 deletion and OGG1 rs1052133 on CA frequencies, APEX1 rs1130409 on DNA damage, ERCC1 rs3212986 on DNA damage and CA frequency, and ERCC4 rs1800067 on MN and CA frequencies. Our results show that the metal(loid) contamination in the Panasqueira mine area induced genotoxic damage both in individuals working in the mine or living in the area. The observed effects are closely associated to the internal exposure dose, and are more evident in susceptible genotypes. The urgent intervention of authorities is required to protect exposed populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia Coelho
- National Institute of Health, Environmental Health Department, Rua Alexandre Herculano n321, 4000-055 Porto, Portugal.
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