Licenced to pollute but not to poison : the ineffectiveness of regulatory authorities at protecting public health from atmospheric arsenic, lead and other contaminants resulting from mining and smelting operations

This article details and examines the impact of significant inconsistencies in pollution licencing, monitoring and reporting from Australia's leading mining and smelting communities of Mount Isa in Queensland and Port Pirie in South Australia. Although emissions to the environment are regulated according to Australia's national air quality standards, significant atmospheric point source toxic emissions of arsenic, lead and sulfur dioxide continue to contaminate Mount Isa and Port Pirie communities. Short-term atmospheric contaminant emissions across residential areas from the Mount Isa Mines operations are significant: in 2011, 24-h maximum suspended particulate (TSP) values for lead-in-air and arsenic-in-air were 12.8μg/m³ and 2973ng/m³, respectively. The relevant Queensland air quality objectives for lead and arsenic are 0.5μg/m³ (TSP) and 6ng/m³ (PM₁₀), respectively, averaged over a year. Mount Isa is also blanketed by elevated sulfur dioxide concentrations, with the Australian and Queensland 1-h air quality standard (0.2ppm) being exceeded on 27 occasions in 2011. At Port Pirie, contamination of the urban environment is arguably worse with 24-h maximum TSP values for lead-in-air and arsenic-in-air of 22.57μg/m³ (2011) and 250ng/m³ (2009), respectively. Port Pirie has an annual average lead-in-air standard of 0.5μg/m³ (TSP) but there are no set values for arsenic. In 2012, the national 1-h standard for sulfur dioxide was exceeded 50 times in Port Pirie. Despite chronic childhood blood lead exposures in both communities, there is a history of denial and downplaying of the source and impact of the contamination. A contributory factor to this pattern of behaviour is the fragmented and inconsistent delivery of data as well as its interpretation in relation to environmental and health impacts from exposures. This study reviews available data sources and makes inference to the impacts from contamination and in doing so, explains why the current regulatory framework fails to protect the impacted communities.18 page(s

Omissions about the sources of contaminant emissions and depositions - a reply to comments on Taylor, MP, Davies, PJ, Kristensen, LJ, Csavina, J., 2014. Licenced to pollute but not to poison: The ineffectiveness of regulatory authorities at protecting public health from atmospheric arsenic, lead and other contaminants resulting from mining and smelting operations. Aeolian Research 14,35-52

9 page(s

Hygroscopic and Chemical Properties of Aerosols Collected near a Copper Smelter: Implications for Public and Environmental Health

Particulate matter emissions near active copper smelters and mine tailings in the southwestern United States pose a potential threat to nearby environments owing to toxic species that can be inhaled and deposited in various regions of the body depending on the composition and size of the particles, which are linked by particle hygroscopic properties. This study reports the first simultaneous measurements of size-resolved chemical and hygroscopic properties of particles next to an active copper smelter and mine tailings by the towns of Hayden and Winkelman in southern Arizona. Size-resolved particulate matter samples were examined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, ion chromatography, and a humidified tandem differential mobility analyzer. Aerosol particles collected at the measurement site are enriched in metals and metalloids (e.g., arsenic, lead, and cadmium) and water-uptake measurements of aqueous extracts of collected samples indicate that the particle diameter range of particles most enriched with these species (0.18–0.55 μm) overlaps with the most hygroscopic mode at a relative humidity of 90% (0.10–0.32 μm). These measurements have implications for public health, microphysical effects of aerosols, and regional impacts owing to the transport and deposition of contaminated aerosol particles