Environmental health survey for children residing near mining areas in South Gobi, Mongolia

Abstract

Background We evaluated the level and factors of heavy metal exposure to children residing in the Togttsetsii, Khanbogd, and Bayandalai soums of South Gobi province, Mongolia. Methods A total of 118 children aged 9–12 years were surveyed, and the level of heavy metal exposure in their bodies was investigated. Exposure was investigated by measuring concentrations of heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, and mercury in the blood; mercury concentration in the hair; and total arsenic in the urine. Results Blood cadmium concentration had geometric averages of 0.16 µg/L in the children from Bayandalai, 0.15 µg/L Tsogttsetsii, and 0.16 µg/L Khanbogd. Blood lead concentration showed a relatively higher geometric average of 7.42 µg/dL in the children from Bayandalai compared to 4.78 µg/dL and 5.15 µg/dL in those from Tsogttsetsii and Khanbogd, respectively. While blood mercury concentration was the highest in the children from Bayandalai, with a value of 0.38 µg/L, those from Tsogttsetsii and Khanbogd had similar concentrations of 0.29 µg/L and 0.29 µg/L, respectively. Hair mercury concentration was the highest in the children from Bayandalai, with a value of 78 µg/g, a particularly significant difference, with a concentration of 0.50 µg/g in those from Khanbogd. Urine arsenic concentration was the highest in the children from Khanbogd, with a value of 36.93 µg/L; it was 26.11 µg/L in those from Bayandalai and 23.89 µg/L in those from Tsogttsetsii. Conclusions The high blood lead concentration of children in Bayandalai was judged to be due to other factors in addition to mine exposure; the reason why blood and hair mercury concentration was higher in children from Bayandalai may have been due to exposure to many small-scale gold mines in the area. In the case of Khanbogd, it was estimated that the high arsenic level in urine was caused by the effect of mines.

The impacts of mining on soil pollution with metal(loid)s in resource-rich Mongolia

“…In the semi-arid to arid conditions of Mongolia 11 with limited water resources 12 , water pollution poses a critical risk 3,4,[12][13][14][15][16] . Insufficient scientific attention is paid to soil pollution, although mining of most minerals can be associated with soil contamination with metal(loid)s. Furthermore, there is no effective management system to assess the environmental health of mining sites 9 .In recent decades, mining areas in Mongolia have been urbanised by originally nomadic inhabitants 12 . The concentration of people in these areas may be risky due to daily exposure to potentially hazardous substances in the environment released from mining operations and stored mining waste materials.…”

“…In the semi-arid to arid conditions of Mongolia 11 with limited water resources 12 , water pollution poses a critical risk 3,4,[12][13][14][15][16] . Insufficient scientific attention is paid to soil pollution, although mining of most minerals can be associated with soil contamination with metal(loid)s. Furthermore, there is no effective management system to assess the environmental health of mining sites 9 .…”

The Association Between Blood Lead Levels and Coronary Artery Calcium Score Determined by Using Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography

“…Compared with high-income countries, there are many areas in the world where lead exposure is poorly managed, highlighting the need for a global policy to reduce lead exposure. 20 …”

Blood Lead Monitoring in a Former Mining Area in Euskirchen, Germany—Volunteers across the Entire Population

“…A study conducted in the same region by Moonga et al found hot spots with mean BLLs of 519 µg/L and cold spots with mean BLLs of 70 µg/L depending on the distance from the mining site and in relation to local prevailing winds [33]. In a study conducted on 9 to 12-year-old children in Mongolia, the mean BLLs were 74.2 µg/L [34]. That is, all of the studies reported mean BLLs that were 6 to 42 times higher than those measured in the present study.…”