当前位置： SCI文献检索 > ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY期刊下所有文献 > Manganese and Mercury Levels in Water, Sediments, and Children Living Near Gold-Mining Areas of the Nangaritza River Basin, Ecuadorian Amazon.

Manganese and Mercury Levels in Water, Sediments, and Children Living Near Gold-Mining Areas of the Nangaritza River Basin, Ecuadorian Amazon.

Abstract：

:Artisanal and small-scale gold-mining activities performed in mountain areas of the Southern Ecuadorian Amazon have incorporated several heavy metals into the aquatic systems, thus increasing the risk of exposure in populations living in adjacent zones. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the contamination levels of mercury (Hg) and manganese (Mn) in several rivers of the Nangaritza River basin and assess the exposure in school-aged children residing near the gold-mining zones. River water and sediment samples were collected from a highly contaminated (HEx) and a moderately contaminated (MEx) zones. Hair Mn (MnH) and urinary Hg (HgU) levels were determined in school-aged children living in both zones. High concentrations of dissolved Mn were found in river waters of the HEx zone (between 2660 and 3990 µg l(-1)); however, Hg levels, in general, were lower than the detection limit (DL; <1.0 µg l(-1)). Similarly, Mn levels in sediments were also increased (3090 to 4086 µg g(-1)). Median values of MnH in children of the HEx and MEx zones were 5.5 and 3.4 µg g(-1), respectively, whereas the median values of HgU concentrations in children living in the HEx and MEx zones were 4.4 and 0.62 µg g-creat(-1), respectively. Statistically significant differences were observed between both biomarkers in children from the HEx and MEx zones. In addition, boys presented significantly greater MnH levels in both zones. The greater MnH values were found in children living in alluvial areas, whereas children living in the high mountain areas, where some ore-processing plants are located close to or inside houses and schools, had the greater HgU concentrations. In summary, the data reported in this paper highlights that artisanal and small-scale gold-mining activities can not only produce mercurial contamination, that can also release other heavy metals (such as Mn) that may pose a risk to human health.

journal_name

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol

journal_title

Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology

authors

González-Merizalde MV,Menezes-Filho JA,Cruz-Erazo CT,Bermeo-Flores SA,Sánchez-Castillo MO,Hernández-Bonilla D,Mora A

doi

10.1007/s00244-016-0285-5

subject

Has Abstract

pub_date

2016-08-01 00:00:00

pages

171-82

issue

eissn

0090-4341

issn

1432-0703

pii

10.1007/s00244-016-0285-5

journal_volume

pub_type

杂志文章

在线工具

Manganese and Mercury Levels in Water, Sediments, and Children Living Near Gold-Mining Areas of the Nangaritza River Basin, Ecuadorian Amazon.