Potential human health risks associated with historic ore processing at Berg Aukas, Grootfontein area, Namibia

Mapani, Benjamin; Ellmies, Rainer; Kamona, Frederick; Křı́bek, Bohdan; Majer, Vladimı́r; Knésl, Ilja; Pašava, Jan; Mufenda, Maria; Mbingeneeko, Filadelphia

doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2010.07.007

Cited by 23 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Global evidence is accumulating for pollution‐driven environmental degradation in many IP lands (Dudgeon 1999; AMAP 2018). Environmental pollution directly affects the health of IPs in several ways, for example, by increasing risks and burdens of disease (Gracey and King 2009; Mapani et al 2010). While cultural impacts have often been overlooked, the literature suggests that they are substantial in extent and scope (Pufall et al 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A State‐of‐the‐Art Review of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Pollution

Fernández‐Llamazares

Garteizgogeascoa

Basu

et al. 2020

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Indigenous peoples (IPs) worldwide are confronted by the increasing threat of pollution. Based on a comprehensive review of the literature (n = 686 studies), we present the current state of knowledge on: 1) the exposure and vulnerability of IPs to pollution; 2) the environmental, health, and cultural impacts of pollution upon IPs; and 3) IPs' contributions to prevent, control, limit, and abate pollution from local to global scales. Indigenous peoples experience large burdens of environmental pollution linked to the expansion of commodity frontiers and industrial development, including agricultural, mining, and extractive industries, as well as urban growth, waste dumping, and infrastructure and energy development. Nevertheless, IPs are contributing to limit pollution in different ways, including through environmental monitoring and global policy advocacy, as well as through local resistance toward polluting activities. This work adds to growing evidence of the breadth and depth of environmental injustices faced by IPs worldwide, and we conclude by highlighting the need to increase IPs' engagement in environmental decision-making regarding pollution control. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:324-341.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A State‐of‐the‐Art Review of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Pollution

Fernández‐Llamazares

Garteizgogeascoa

Basu

et al. 2020

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Sediments act as both carriers and potential sources of contaminants in marine ecosystems and can serve as a pool which holds or discharge contaminants to the river column by different remobilization processes [12][13][14]. There have been some studies recently on the sediment quality of water bodies in Namibia [5,[15][16][17] and the findings indicate that the rivers are contaminated with varying degrees of organic and inorganic compounds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of heavy metals pollution in sediment at the Omaruru River basin in Erongo region, Namibia

Onjefu

Shaningwa

Lusilao

et al. 2020

Environmental Pollutants and Bioavailability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study determined the contamination levels of some heavy metals: Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Fe, As, and Al obtained from the delta basin of Omaruru River, using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrophotometer (Optima 8000, Perkin Elmer). Chemical analysis showed that the sediments samples have metal concentrations ranging from 88 to 128mg/kg for Mn, 3973 to 4369mg/kg for Fe, 96 to 107mg/kg for Cr, 6 to 9mg/kg for Cu, 9 to 11mg/kg for Ni, 17 to 19mg/kg for As, and 11750 to 9002mg/kg for Al. The concentrations of Cr and As showed suggest that the sediment samples were heavily polluted according to United States Environmental Protection Agency's regulatory guidelines of the heavy metals. Additionally, the concentrations of Cr and As in the sediments exceeded the effect low range, effect medium range, threshold effect level, and the probable effect level proposed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.

show abstract

“…Berg Aukas is a mining town in northeastern Namibia (Figure 1), east of Grootfontein. Mineralization of Zn-Pb-V type, located in a dolomite host rock, was mined from 1920 to 1978 (Mapani et al, 2010). Two flotation mine tailings are located north of the previous mining area (Figure 4).…”

Section: Figure 1 | Location Of Mine Tailings In Zambia and Namibiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Formation of secondary hematite and its role in attenuation of contaminants at mine tailings: review and comparison of sites in Zambia and Namibia

Šráček

2015

Front. Environ. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mine tailings in African countries Zambia and Namibia have been investigated with an objective to determine the role of secondary hematite in immobilization of contaminants. Two sites, Chambishi and Mindolo, are located in the Copperbelt in Zambia with relatively humid climates and two sites, Berg Aukas and Kombat, are in Namibia, where the climate is semiarid. At the Chambishi site which is about 40 years old, a hardpan composed of hematite and gypsum has formed at a depth of about 60 cm and large amounts of Cu and Co have been deposited. At the much younger Mindolo site (<10 year), no such hardpan was detected, but hematite is found in iron-rich bands where Cu and Co have also been enriched. At the Berg Aukas site, the V-rich mine tailings are >30 years old, but most V remains in primary descloizite, embedded in a carbonate matrix while a relatively small amount of released V is incorporated into hematite. In contrast, released Zn and Pb are incorporated mainly into smithsonite and cerussite, which are less stable from an environmental viewpoint. Finally, at the Kombat mine tailings (<5 years old), As released from pyrite is also incorporated into hematite, but Cu released by dissolution of chalcopyrite and bornite has precipitated as malachite, which is less stable than hematite. Water-leached concentrations of contaminants such as Cu, Zn, and Pb (also present in some carbonate phases) are an order of magnitude higher than water-leached concentrations of V and As which are bound to crystalline ferric minerals such as hematite and soluble only in the aqua regia fraction of sequential extraction. It seems that rapid formation of hematite under tropical climate conditions and incorporation of contaminants into this mineral phase is favorable for attenuation of released contaminants. These findings have implications at other mining sites with similar climates in Africa, South America and Asia.

show abstract

Potential human health risks associated with historic ore processing at Berg Aukas, Grootfontein area, Namibia

Cited by 23 publications

References 1 publication

A State‐of‐the‐Art Review of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Pollution

A State‐of‐the‐Art Review of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Pollution

Assessment of heavy metals pollution in sediment at the Omaruru River basin in Erongo region, Namibia

Formation of secondary hematite and its role in attenuation of contaminants at mine tailings: review and comparison of sites in Zambia and Namibia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About