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Buch AC, Sims DB, de Ramos LM, Marques ED, Ritcher S, Abdullah MMS, Silva-Filho EV. Assessment of environmental pollution and human health risks of mine tailings in soil: after dam failure of the Córrego do Feijão Mine (in Brumadinho, Brazil). ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2024; 46:72. [PMID: 38367120 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-024-01870-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
The dam failure of the Córrego do Feijão Mine (CFM) located in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, killed at least 278 people. In addition, large extensions of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems were destroyed, directly compromising the environmental and socioeconomic quality of the region. This study assessed the pollution and human health risks of soils impacted by the tailing spill of the CFM dam, along a sample perimeter of approximately 200 km. Based on potential ecological risk and pollution load indices, the enrichments of Cd, As, Hg, Cu, Pb and Ni in soils indicated that the Brumadinho, Mário Campos, Betim and São Joaquim de Bicas municipalities were the most affected areas by the broken dam. Restorative and reparative actions must be urgently carried out in these areas. For all contaminated areas, the children's group indicated an exacerbated propensity to the development of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic diseases, mainly through the ingestion pathway. Toxicological risk assessments, including acute, chronic and genotoxic effects, on people living and working in mining areas should be a priority for public management and mining companies to ensure effective environmental measures that do not harm human health and well-being over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andressa Cristhy Buch
- Department of Environmental Geochemistry, Fluminense Federal University, Outeiro São João Baptista, S/N., Centro, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, 24020-007, Brazil.
| | - Douglas B Sims
- Department of Physical Sciences, College of Southern Nevada, North Las Vegas, NV, 89030, USA
| | - Larissa Magalhães de Ramos
- Department of Bioprocess and Biotechnology Engineering, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, 82590-300, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Duarte Marques
- Service Geological Survey of Brazil/Company of Research of Mineral Resources (SGB/CPRM), Belo Horizonte Regional Office, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 30140-002, Brazil
| | - Simone Ritcher
- Researcher of Paraná Center of Reference in Agroecology, Estrada da Graciosa, Pinhais, Paraná, 6960, 83327-055, Brazil
| | - Mahmood M S Abdullah
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, 11451, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Emmanoel Vieira Silva-Filho
- Department of Environmental Geochemistry, Fluminense Federal University, Outeiro São João Baptista, S/N., Centro, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, 24020-007, Brazil
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Goren AY, Eskisoy DN, Genisoglu S, Okten HE. Microbial desalination cell treated spent geothermal brine as a nutrient medium in hydroponic lettuce cultivation: Health risk assessment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 907:167778. [PMID: 37863224 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
The scarcity and contamination of freshwater resources are extremely critical issues today, and the expansion of water reuse has been considered as an option to decrease its impact. Therefore, the reuse of microbial desalination (MDC)-treated spent geothermal brine for agricultural purposes arises as a good solution to prevent water contamination and provide sustainable water usage. In this study, the potential of treated spent geothermal water from MDC system as a nutrient solution for the hydroponic cultivation of lettuce was evaluated. The effects of different water samples (Hoagland solution (R1) as a control, MDC-treated water (R2), 1:1, v/v mixture of MDC-treated water and Hoagland solution (R3), 4:1, v/v mixture of MDC-treated water and Hoagland solution (R4), and tap water (R5)) on lettuce growth were considered. The application of R3 and R4 samples for hydroponic lettuce cultivation was promising since the lettuce plants uptake sufficient nutrients for their growth and productivity with low toxic metal concentrations. In addition, the chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, and carotene contents of lettuce were in the range of 1.045-2.391 mg/g, 0.761-1.986 mg/g, and 0.296-0.423 mg/g in different water samples, respectively. The content of chlorophyll-a was highest in R1 (2.391 mg/g), followed by R3 (2.371 mg/g). Furthermore, the health risk assessment of heavy metal accumulations in the lettuce plants cultivated in the various water samples was determined. Results showed that heavy metal exposure via lettuce consumption is unlikely to suffer noticeable adverse health problems with values below the permissible limit value.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Y Goren
- Izmir Institute of Technology, Department of Environmental Engineering, İzmir, Turkey
| | - D N Eskisoy
- Izmir Institute of Technology, Department of Bioengineering, İzmir, Turkey
| | - S Genisoglu
- Izmir Institute of Technology, Department of Environmental Engineering, İzmir, Turkey
| | - H E Okten
- Izmir Institute of Technology, Department of Environmental Engineering, İzmir, Turkey; Environmental Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Turkey.
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