Levels of As, Cd, Pb and Hg found in the hair from people living in Altamira, Pará, Brazil: environmental implications in the Belo Monte area

Abstract

Amostras de cabelo foram utilizadas como bioindicador para avaliar os níveis de As, Cd, Pb e Hg na população residente na área "Volta Grande" do rio Xingu, no Norte do Brasil. As concentrações de As e Cd estão de acordo com os valores encontrados na literatura, no entanto, foram encontrados valores anômalos de Pb e Hg , o que pode sugerir uma variação inter-regional. Os elevados valores encontrados de Pb e Hg, em cabelos de moradores da Ilha do Canteiro, podem ser atribuídos à exposição ambiental das famílias, por estarem em uma área ambiental impactada pela mineração de ouro. A aplicação dos métodos de estatística multivariada mostrou que a concentração dos metais, estudados neste trabalho, pode ser classificatória entre pessoas de localidades diferentes do município de Altamira. Os resultados neste trabalho refletem o impacto ambiental destes elementos sobre a saúde dos habitantes desta área de garimpagem de ouro.Human hair was used as a bioindicator to evaluate the levels of As, Cd, Pb and Hg in the resident population of the "Volta Grande" area of the Xingu river, in the North of Brazil. The concentrations of As and Cd are in agreement with the values found in the literature, however, the Pb and Hg concentration is very different, which can suggest an inter-regional variation. Moreover, the high values found for these elements in the residents of the Canteiro Island can be attributed to environmental exposure of this population in an area with environmental impact from activities of gold mining. The application of these methods showed that the concentrations of the metals studied in this work can correctly classify two different localities in the Altamira district. The results reflect the impact of these elements on the health of the inhabitants of this auriferous area.Keywords: arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, hair, Altamira, environmental, chemometric methods, multivariate statistics IntroductionThe Amazon region possesses one of the biggest hydrographic basins of our planet. The construction of a hydroelectric dam in Monte Belo, Pará state, will help to resolve some of Brazil´s energy demand. However, its construction points to conflicts with respect to the socialeconomics of the environment and of the population living in Altamira and in other localities near the "Volta grande" area of the Xingu river, in the North of Brazil.The exploitation of hydroeletric energy implies a significant environmental impact that can not be neglected. The formation of the accumulation basin behind the dam will provoke flooding of the forests, the disappearance of important fauna from the submersed area as well as land used for agriculture, and villages and towns with traditional and cultural knowledge. The dam will also provoke displacement of the population, changes in the quality of the water, increases in production of gaseous carbon compounds (CO 2 , CH 4 ) and, nitrogen compounds) and other disruptions. 1,2All these environmental factors modify the biodisponibility of the metals in the aquatic environment and modifies...

Levels of Cd, Pb, As, Hg, and Se in Hair of Residents Living in Villages Around Fenghuang Polymetallic Mine, Southwestern China

“…Only the concentration of hair Hg in CMM is statistically significant: the average concentration of Hg in hair of residents engaging in mining (3.83 ± 1.83 mg kg -1 ) was higher than that of those who were not in mining industry (2.20 ± 1.10 mg kg -1 ). Similar results were found in the Wanshan and Wuchang Hg mines in Guizhou, China (Li et al 2004(Li et al , 2008, the gold mine area in Shaanxi, China, and Canteiro Island, Brazil (Wu et al 2007;Carvalho et al 2009). In terms of the Hg burden in CMM, mining activities had no direct impact on the hair metals burden of residents living in CLM.…”

“…Li et al (2004) found that the average Hg concentration in the hair of workers from the Wanshan Hg mine, China, was 837 mg kg -1 , which is much higher than those from other areas in the world. Similar results were found among the residents on Canteiro Island, Brazil, whose hair Hg and Pb contents were higher than the average level due to the gold mining activities (Carvalho et al 2009). …”

“…Hair samples have been widely used in the biomonitoring of heavy metals exposure in large cohorts . Moreover, determination of heavy metal concentrations in hair of residents from villages adjacent to mining has also proven useful in assessing their health status (Carvalho et al 2009). Li et al (2004) found that the average Hg concentration in the hair of workers from the Wanshan Hg mine, China, was 837 mg kg -1 , which is much higher than those from other areas in the world.…”

Risco Ambiental

“…Vários autores têm estudado o arsênio em amostras biológicas como indicadores de exposição humana ao arsênio [128][129][130][131] . Os biomarcadores de exposição ao arsênio mais utilizados são os níveis de arsênio na urina, cabelo e unha [112] como é mostrado na Tabela 8.3.…”

“…Estudos de saúde humana e ambiente na cidade de Santana-AP objetivaram avaliar as fontes e possíveis vias de exposição da população da comunidade do Elesbão ao arsênio comparado com a história clínica individual e outros dados da pesquisa, permitiram a interpretação de que, para os indivíduos analisados, existe exposição, sem indícios de intoxicação [129] .…”