An Integrated Health Risk Assessment Approach to the Study of Mining Sites Contaminated With Arsenic and Lead

Abstract

In order to test the value of an integrated approach for the analysis of health risks at contaminated sites, an integrated health risk assessment in a mining area was performed following 3 steps: 1) Environmental monitoring of surface soil, 2) assessment of exposure to metals in children and native rodents, and 3) DNA damage evaluation (comet assay) in children and rodents. These aspects also were studied in less exposed populations. Our results in humans showed that children living in the most polluted area (Villa de la Paz, Mexico) had higher lead blood concentrations (geometric mean of 13.8 microg/dL) and urinary arsenic levels (geometric mean of 52.1 microg/g creatinine) compared to children living in a control area (Matehuala, Mexico; blood lead of 7.3 microg/dL; urinary arsenic of 16.8 microg/g creatinine). Furthermore, the exposed children also had increased DNA damage (tail moment mean in Villa de la Paz of 4.8 vs 3.9 in Matehuala; p < 0.05). Results in rodents were identical. Animals captured in the polluted area had higher levels of arsenic (geometric mean of 1.3 microg/g in liver and 1.8 microg/g in kidney), lead (0.2 microg/g in liver and 0.9 microg/g in kidney), and cadmium (0.8 microg/g in liver and 2.2 microg/g in kidney), and increased DNA damage (tail moment mean of 18.2) when compared to control animals (arsenic in liver of 0.08 microg/g and kidney of 0.1 microg/g; lead in liver of 0.06 microg/g and kidney of 0.3 microg/g; cadmium in liver of 0.06 microg/g and kidney of 0.6 microg/g; and tail moment of 14.2). With the data in children and rodents, the weight-of-evidence for health risks (in this case DNA damage) associated with metal exposure in Villa de la Paz was strengthened. Therefore, a remediation program was easier to justify, and a feasibility study at this site is under way.

DNA methylation changes in Mexican children exposed to arsenic from two historic mining areas in San Luis potosí

“…In the “Altiplano” region, including Cedral‐Villa de la Paz, exposure to arsenic has been decreasing over time. For example, in 2003 the geometric mean of urinary arsenic was 133 µg/g Cr [Yáñez et al, ], 52.1 µg/g Cr in 2007 [Jasso‐Pineda et al, ] and 44.5 µg/g Cr in 2012 [Jasso‐Pineda et al, ]. In this study, a geometric mean of 28.48 µg/g Cr was found, which is consistent with the declining trend.…”

Lead exposure from soil in Peruvian mining towns: a national assessment supported by two contrasting examples

“…The association between childhood exposure and soil contamination observed in Cerro de Pasco is consistent with that seen in studies of the effect of lead mining, ore processing, and smelting carried out elsewhere, including other parts of Latin America. 10,17,19,[25][26] We are not aware of any studies of the blood lead level in the population living near the Colquisiri mine in our second selected location. However, given the relatively low soil lead levels we observed (Fig.…”

Remoción de Arsénico (V) en Solución Acuosa por Biomasa Modificada del Hongo AspergiHus niger

“…Por otro lado, en el distrito minero de San Luis de la Paz, en Villa de la Paz (8 km de la ciudad de Matehuala), se han reportado 158 mg L -1 de arsénico disuelto, y otras concentraciones en el agua de riego de suelos agrícolas y cultivos de maíz (Martínez-Villegas et al, 2013;Ruíz Huerta et. al., 2017), además, las aguas en contacto con los sedimentos, presentan concentraciones de arsénico de hasta 200,000 μm L -1 , y los sedimentos analizados presentan concentraciones totales de arsénico de 143.00 a 2054.60 mg Kg -1 (Torres y Martínez, 2010): también, se ha evaluado el riesgo sanitario de algunos sitios mineros contaminados con arsénico y plomo en Villa de la Paz (Jasso Pineda et. al., 2017), y se ha reportado una gran contaminación en el acuífero colgado del Valle de San Luis Potosí por diferentes fuentes (López Alvarez et.…”