Probabilistic multi-pathway human health risk assessment due to heavy metal(loid)s in a traditional gold mining area in Ecuador.

Autor: Jiménez-Oyola S; Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Facultad de Ingeniería en Ciencias de la Tierra, Campus Gustavo Galindo km 30.5 vía Perimetral, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador; Department of Energy and Fuels, E.T.S. Ingenieros de Minas y Energía, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ríos Rosas 21, 28003 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: sjimenez@espol.edu.ec., Chavez E; Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Campus Gustavo Galindo km 30.5 vía Perimetral, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador., García-Martínez MJ; Department of Energy and Fuels, E.T.S. Ingenieros de Minas y Energía, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ríos Rosas 21, 28003 Madrid, Spain., Ortega MF; Department of Energy and Fuels, E.T.S. Ingenieros de Minas y Energía, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ríos Rosas 21, 28003 Madrid, Spain., Bolonio D; Department of Energy and Fuels, E.T.S. Ingenieros de Minas y Energía, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ríos Rosas 21, 28003 Madrid, Spain., Guzmán-Martínez F; Department of Energy and Fuels, E.T.S. Ingenieros de Minas y Energía, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ríos Rosas 21, 28003 Madrid, Spain; Mexican Geological Survey, Boulevard Felipe Angeles Km. 93.50-4, 42083 Pachuca, Mexico., García-Garizabal I; Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Facultad de Ingeniería en Ciencias de la Tierra, Campus Gustavo Galindo km 30.5 vía Perimetral, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador., Romero P; Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Facultad de Ingeniería en Ciencias de la Tierra, Campus Gustavo Galindo km 30.5 vía Perimetral, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety [Ecotoxicol Environ Saf] 2021 Aug 14; Vol. 224, pp. 112629. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Aug 14.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112629
Abstrakt: Mining operations are important causes of environmental pollution in developing countries where mining waste management is not adequate. Consequently, heavy metal(loid)s are easily released into the environment, being a potential risk to human health. This study carries out a Bayesian probabilistic human health risk assessment, related to multi-pathway exposure to heavy metal(loid)s in a gold mining area in Southern Ecuador. Concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in tap water, surface water, and soil samples, were analyzed to assess the potential adverse human health effects based on the Hazard Index (HI) and Total cancer risk (TCR). Adults and children residents were surveyed to adjust their exposure parameters to the site-specific conditions. Exposure to heavy metal(loid)s resulted in unacceptable risk levels for human health in the two age groups, both carcinogenic (TCR > 1 × 10 -5 ) and non-carcinogenic (HI > 1) through ingestion of tap water and incidental ingestion of surface water. Sensitivity analysis showed that As concentration in waters and exposure frequency were the main contributors to risk outcome. Exposure to soil via accidental ingestion and dermal contact was below the safety limit, not posing a risk to human health. These findings can provide a baseline for the environmental management of the mining area and indicate the need for further research on As pollution in water and its implications on the health of the inhabitants of mining communities.
(Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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