Do Old Mining Areas Represent an Environmental Problem and Health Risk? A Critical Discussion through a Particular Case

Abstract

A bibliographic review was carried out to establish the state of knowledge of a mining area with several centuries of exploitation and currently abandoned. The selected case study, the Sierra Minera de Cartagena-La Union (Spain), has a long history of mining activity, ending in 1990. The area is rich in metallic sulphide (lead, zinc and iron), with underground mines and quarries. The zone is very close to important populations and affects protected sites of special ecological value. It is also adjacent to areas dedicated to agriculture and important centres of tourist interest. It is a territory that meets the requirements to be classified as a critical area, as it is in a state of unstable physical and geochemical equilibrium, giving rise to possible risks to human health and ecosystems. A literature review was carried out according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology criteria, consulting a large number of related publications. The results obtained using the Source-Pathway-Receptor model make it possible to identify the main impacts caused by the contamination sources, the main routes of contamination, as well as the transfer to the biota and the influence on adjacent agricultural soils. In this study, lead, cadmium, zinc, arsenic, copper and manganese were considered as potential toxic elements (PTEs), and data were obtained on concentrations in soil, water and air as well as in fauna and flora. Finally, once the receptors and the associated risks to the ecosystem and human health were identified, a conceptual model of the contamination was drawn up to consider a management proposal to tackle the problems associated with this area, which would also be applicable to critical mining zones.

In Situ Use of Mining Substrates for Wetland Construction: Results of a Pilot Experiment

“…This process occurs spontaneously during ecosystem recovery. However, even in these cases, high As contents and concentrations of organic matter can pose a potential threat to human health and the ecosystem [ 15 ]. Environmental conditions cause the reduction of As (V) to As (III), which increases its toxicity to the environment [ 16 ].…”

“…Various publications have discussed the recovery options for Portman Bay, including studies and experiments related to the remediation of runoff waters that mix with acid mine drains and reach the beach area [ 10 , 15 , 33 ]. The meteoric waters are contained within the exposed section of the bay, resulting in the formation of a shallow lagoon during wet periods.…”

A Green Solution for the Rehabilitation of Marginal Lands: The Case of Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet Grown in Technosols

“…The large number of operating mines raises health and environmental concerns, many of them related to the large amount of waste generated (over 100 billion tonnes per year [ 1 ]). However, the problem is not limited to active mines; the more than one million abandoned mines worldwide [ 2 ] after centuries of exploitation also constitute degraded environments. Thus, postmining waste management is necessary to solve a current and future global problem [ 2 ], such as the need for a clean-energy transition that relies heavily on mineral resources [ 3 ].…”

“…However, the problem is not limited to active mines; the more than one million abandoned mines worldwide [ 2 ] after centuries of exploitation also constitute degraded environments. Thus, postmining waste management is necessary to solve a current and future global problem [ 2 ], such as the need for a clean-energy transition that relies heavily on mineral resources [ 3 ]. The intense extractive activity of sulfide ores generates various types of wastes (gossan waste: gossan materials mixed with host rocks, sulfide waste: crushed pyrite and smelter ash) and leachates; leading to acid mine drainage (AMD) from sulfide materials that can affect soils and surface water and groundwater both in mining areas and for many kilometres around for decades or centuries [ 4 , 5 ].…”

Reutilisation of Water Contaminated by Mining Waste for the Encapsulation of Potentially Toxic Elements

“…Consequently, these new regulations regulate, quantify, control and reduce environmental affections. Nevertheless, the applicable environmental regulations are relatively new, so there are currently abandoned mining operations from decades ago whose waste is currently producing significant environmental affections [ 14 ].…”