Abstract
Mexico is one of the world’s leading mercury producers and exporters. However, mercury mining is carried out using artisanal procedures, which highly impact ecosystems. In the municipality of Pinal de Amoles, Queretaro, Mexico, artisanal mercury mining (AMM) is practiced in a region that has been categorized as a Biosphere Reserve. Therefore, a holistic health risk assessment for mercury was performed in the region, including environmental monitoring (air, water, and soil) and mercury exposure in both humans (children, women, and miners) and biota (plants, rodents, and worms). The atmospheric mercury determination was carried out using the JEROME® J405 analyzer, whereas total mercury in environmental and biological samples was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry/cold vapor. Results showed that mercury concentrations in the environmental and biological matrices exceeded their respective reference values. These results demonstrate the direct influence of AMM in the increasing levels of mercury in all the components of the studied ecosystem. Therefore, comprehensive intervention strategies must be implemented to reduce and prevent human health and ecological risks due to the presence of mercury. In this regard, the Minamata Convention for mercury control should include biomonitoring programs not only for humans but also for critical ecological receptors in polluted ecosystems.
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This study was funded by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT). Problemas Nacionales (Project 1340).
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by AACC, GER, CARH, LCY, CAIH, and LERA. The draft of the manuscript was written by AACC, GER, and FDB, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Funding acquisition was made by FDB.
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Camacho-delaCruz, A.A., Espinosa-Reyes, G., Rebolloso-Hernández, C.A. et al. Holistic health risk assessment in an artisanal mercury mining region in Mexico. Environ Monit Assess 193, 541 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-09312-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-09312-7