Human health risk assessment of metals and metalloids in mining areas of the Northeast Andean foothills of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Autor: Galarza E; Facultad de Ciencias de La Tierra y Agua, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena, Ecuador., Moulatlet GM; Red de Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, A.C. INECOL, Xalapa, Veracruz, México., Rico A; IMDEA Water Institute, Science and Technology Campus of the University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain.; Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Paterna, Spain., Cabrera M; Laboratorio Nacional de Referencia Del Agua, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena, Ecuador., Pinos-Velez V; Departamento de Recursos Hídricos y Ciencias Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador.; Departamento de Biociencias, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador., Pérez-González A; Grupo de Investigación en Quimiometría y QSAR, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del Azuay, Cuenca, Ecuador., Capparelli MV; Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología-Estación El Carmen, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad del Carmen, México.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Integrated environmental assessment and management [Integr Environ Assess Manag] 2023 May; Vol. 19 (3), pp. 706-716. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Nov 11.
DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4698
Abstrakt: Gold mining (GM) is a major source of metals and metalloids in rivers, causing severe environmental pollution and increasing the exposure risks to the residents of surrounding areas. Mining in Ecuadorian Amazonia has dramatically increased in recent years, but its impacts on Indigenous local populations that make use of rivers are still unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the risks to adults and children caused by the exposure to metals and metalloids in freshwater ecosystems contaminated with tailings released by GM activities in 11 sites of the upper Napo River basin, Ecuador. We selected a carcinogenic and a noncarcinogenic risk assessment method to estimate the hazard index (HI) and total cancer risk (TCR). The concentration of Ag, Al, As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn, B, and V in water and sediment samples was considered to assess the risks to human health. The calculated HI was 23-352 times greater than the acceptable limits in all sites for both children and adults. Mn and Fe were the main contributors (75% in water and 99% in sediment) to the total calculated risk based on the HI. The calculated TCR for children and adults exceeded approximately one to three times the permissible threshold in all sites. As and Pb contributed up to 93% of the total calculated risk based on TCR for both children and adults. This study demonstrates that the emission and mobilization of metals and metalloids caused by mining activities increase the risk to human health, to which we recommend further monitoring of freshwater contamination in the area and the implementation of preventive health management measures. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:706-716. © 2022 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
(© 2022 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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