Abstract
Previous studies have evaluated associated health risks and human exposure pathways at mining sites. Others have provided estimates of the scale of the issue based in part on surveys. However, a global census of mining-related hazardous waste sites has been lacking. The Toxic Sites Identification Program (TSIP) implemented by Blacksmith Institute (New York, NY, USA) since 2009 is an ongoing effort to catalogue a wide range of chemically contaminated sites with a potential human health risk (Ericson et al., Environ Monit Assess doi:10.1007/s 10661-012-2665-2, 2012). The TSIP utilizes a rapid assessment instrument, the Initial Site Screening (ISS), to quickly and affordably identify key site criteria including human exposure pathways, estimated populations at risk, and sampling information. The resulting ISS allows for comparison between sites exhibiting different contaminants and pollution sources. This paper explores the results of a subset of ISSs completed at 131 artisanal and small-scale gold mining areas and 275 industrial mining and ore processing sites in 45 countries. The authors show that the ISS captures key data points, allowing for prioritization of sites for further investigation or remedial activity.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Appleton JD, Williams TM, Breward N, Apostol A, Miguel J, Miranda C (1999) Mercury contamination associated with artisanal gold mining on the island of Mindanao, the Philippines. Sci Total Environ 228(2–3):95–109
Avudainayagam S, Megharaj M, Owens G, Kookana RS, Chittleborough D, Naidu R (2003) Chemistry of chromium in soils with emphasis on tannery waste sites. Rev Environ Contam Toxicol 178:53–91
Bebbington A, Connarty M, Coxshal W, O’Shaughnessy H, Williams M (2007) Mining and development in Peru. Support Group, Lima
Berry G, Reid A, Aboagye-Sarfo P, de Klerk NH, Olsen NJ, Merler E, Franklin P, Musk AW (2012) Malignant mesotheliomas in former miners and millers of crocidolite at Wittenoom (Western Australia) after more than 50 years follow-up. Br J Cancer 106(5):1016–1020
Dubey CS, Sahoo BK, Nayak NR (2001) Chromium (VI) in waters in parts of Sukinda Chromite Valley and health hazards. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 67(4):541–548
Dudka S, Adriano DC (1997) Environmental Impacts of Metal Ore Mining and Processing. A Review, Journal of Environmental Quality, 26(3)590–602
Ericson B, Caravanos J, Chatham-Stephens K, Landrigan P, Fuller R (2012) Approaches to systematic assessment of environmental exposures posed at hazardous waste sites in the developing world: the Toxic Sites Identification Program. Environ Monit Assess. doi:10.1007/s10661-012-2665-2
Fitzgerald WF, Engstrom DR, Mason RP, Nater EA (1998) The case for atmospheric mercury contamination in remote areas. Environ Sci Technol 32(1):1–7
Jordan G (2009) Sustainable mineral resources management: from regional mineral resources exploration to spatial contamination risk assessment of mining. Environ Geol 58(1):153–169
Kreiss K, Zhen B (1996) Risk of silicosis in a Colorado Mining Community. Amer J Ind Med 30:529–539
Kumar AR, Riyazuddin P (2010) Chromium speciation in groundwater of a tannery polluted area of Chennai City, India. Environ Monit Assess 160(1–4):579–591
Kushner LM (1986) Hazard ranking system issue analysis: sites with unknown waste quantity. Report MTR-86W83. Mitre Corporation, McLean
Limbong D, Kumampung J, Rimper J, Takaomi A, Miyazaki N (2003) Emissions and environmental implications of mercury from artisanal gold mining in north Sulawesi, Indonesia. Sci Total Environ 302(1–3):227–236
Lottermoser BG (2010) Mine wastes: characterization, treatment and environmental impacts. Springer, Berlin
Morel FM, Kraepiel AM, Amyot M (1998) The chemical cycle and bioaccumulation of mercury. Annual review of ecology and systematics 29:543–566
National Research Council (NRC) (1994) Ranking hazardous waste sites for remedial action. National Academy Press, Washington DC
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2012) Environmental outlook to 2050. http://www.oecd.org/env/. Accessed 16 October 2012
Panda CR, Mishra KK, Nayak BD, Rao DS, Nayak BB (2012) Release behaviour of chromium from ferrochrome slag. Int J Environ Technol Manag 15(3):261–274
Plá MA, Vicente TJ, García FA (2001) Evaluación de riesgos toxicológicos en ecosistemas terrestres. Rev Toxicol 18(3):137–139
Razo I, Carrizales L, Castro J, Díaz-Barriga F, Monroy M (2004) Arsenic and heavy metal pollution of soil, water, and sediments in a semiarid climate mining area in Mexico. Water Air Soil Pollut 152:129–152
Stassen MJ, Preeker NL, Ragas AM, van de Ven MW, Smolders AJ, Roeleveld N (2012) Metal exposure and reproductive disorders in indigenous communities living along the Pilcomayo River, Bolivia. Sci Total Environ 427–428:26–34
Taylor H, Appleton JD, Lister R, Smith B, Chitamweba D, Mkumbo O, Machiwa JF, Tesha AL, Beinhoff C (2005) Environmental assessment of mercury contamination from the Rwamagasa artisanal gold mining centre, Geita District, Tanzania. Sci Total Environ 343(1):111–133
Telmer KH, Veiga MM (2009) World emissions of mercury from artisanal and small scale gold mining. pp 131–172; In: Mercury fate and transport in the global atmosphere: emissions, measurements and models. Editors: Robert Mason and Nicola Pirrone, Springer, New York
United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) (2006) Summary of supply, trade and demand information on mercury, requested by UNEP. Chemicals Branch, DTIE, Geneva, p 18, Governing Council decision 23–9 IV, November 2006
United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) and Artisanal Gold Council (2012) Reducing mercury use in artisanal and small-scale mining. http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Mercury/PrioritiesforAction/ArtisanalandSmallScaleGoldMining/tabid/3526/Default.aspx. Accessed 16 October 2012
United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) (1998) Toxicological review of trivalent chromium, Washington DC. http://www.epa.gov/iris/toxreviews/0028tr.pdf. Accessed 16 October 2012
US Environmental Protection Agency. (2012). Superfund: Basic Information. http://www.epa.gov/superfund/about.htm. Accessed 16 October 2012
Veiga MM, Maxson PA, Hylander LD (2006) Origin and consumption of mercury in small-scale gold mining. J Clean Prod 14(3):436–447
World Bank (2012) Available at http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications. Accessed 16 Oct 2012
Yáñez L, Ortiz D, Calderón J, Batres L, Carrizales L, Mejía J, Martínez L, García-Nieto E, Díaz-Barriga F (2002) Overview of human health and chemical mixtures: problems facing developing countries. Environ Heal Perspect 110(Suppl 6):901–909
Acknowledgments
The Toxic Sites Identification Program has been funded in part by the Asian Development Bank, the European Commission, Green Cross Switzerland, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and the World Bank.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Caravanos, J., Ericson, B., Ponce-Canchihuamán, J. et al. Rapid assessment of environmental health risks posed by mining operations in low- and middle-income countries: selected case studies. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 7711–7718 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1424-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1424-9