Toxicity of vapor-gas flows from technogenic substance

The relevance. Vapor-gas flows from technogenic substances (storage wastes of the mining industry), carrying a high amount of potentially toxic elements, are a big problem for the environment and the population, because metals and metalloids in the composition of emanations are in an easily digestible bioavailable forms and are able to easily penetrate into living organisms. The main aim of this study is an assessment of toxicity for living organisms of air mixtures containing gaseous products emitted by a surfaces of mine tailings freely located near settlements and under the influence of climatic factors and microorganisms. Methods. Carrying out experiments with white rats male Wistar, analysis of organs for the content of a wide range of elements by ICP-MS on a NexION 300D mass spectrometer (PerkinElmer, USA) (PNL  GGC IShPR TPU). In the experiment, a pooled sample of the waste substance was used. The sample was analyzed for the content of oxides of the silicate group by XRF using X-ray fluorescence spectrometer ARL-9900-XP (Thermo Electron Corporation, Switzerland) at the Laboratory of X-ray Spectral Analysis Methods of the IGM SB RAS; elemental analysis was carried out by ICP-MS using an ELAN-9000 DRC-e instrument Perkin Elmer, USA (HAC Plasma). Results. Under the influence of vapor-gas emanations from the substance of arsenide tailings of the Tuvacobalt plant on a group of rats male Wistar, pathological changes occurred in the experimental group. Small foci of hemorrhages formed in the lungs, the tissues became edematous and inflamed. The liver of all animals increased, the share structure became sharply expressed, the color became light beige. Single hemorrhages were found in the kidneys. The vessels of the meninges are dilated, petechial hemorrhages are observed. The synthetic function of cells and the stability of cellular and intracellular membranes were disrupted, first of all, the endothelium of blood vessels was affected, the physiological functioning of organs and tissues was disrupted with the accumulation of intermediate products of biochemical reactions, determined macroscopically. Also, dystrophy of internal organs was determined, in particular, the liver, lungs, kidneys, and brain. Elemental analysis of animal organs showed the accumulation of toxic elements in comparison with the control group. The most characteristic elements, the excess of which was recorded in most cases, are mercury and arsenic. They were unevenly distributed throughout the organs. Mercury accumulated mainly in the lungs, kidneys and liver, while arsenic accumulated mainly in the liver and brain. This may indicate the entry of mercury and arsenic ions in a biologically available form into the bloodstream by inhalation, and local irritating and toxic effects on the lungs were not prevailing, and the liver was the most damaged organ according to the results of toxicochemical and morphological studies. The homeostasis of micro and macro elements is finely regulated, and any concentration imbalance in the form of a deficiency leads to a progressive decrease and disruption of normal biological function, to severe physiological and clinical outcomes, which we observed from the results of the experiment. The data obtained proved the acute toxic effect of vapor-gas flows on living organisms, and also confirmed the possibility of the removal of many chemical elements in easily accessible and assimilable forms

Evidence of Volatility Metals and Metalloids at Environment Conditions

Tailings represent a significant risk to the environment globally, but very little is known about the composition of the near-surface air. We conducted laboratory experiments to determine the sizes of the particles and the chemical composition of the flow above the mine waste. A condensate of vapor–gas flow was collected in parallel with particle control by an aerosol diffusion spectrometer (ADS). We reveal that there were no aerosol particles bigger than 3 nm in the flow. The collected condensate contained chemical elements, ions of sulfates, chlorides, phosphates, and formates and a wide range of sulfur-, selenium-, and carbon-containing gases. The main findings of the study are the presence of the metals Zn, Cu, Fe, Al, Cd, Ni, and Ba and the metalloids As, Sb, Se, Ag, Co, Ti, and V in the true-gas phase or in the form of particles smaller than 3 nm in the air above the mine tailings. The surprising fact is that the migration of metals and metalloids in a true-gas form or in ultrafine particles (<3 nm) is possible, which opens up a new research direction on the volatile forms of chemical elements in various climatic conditions and their bioavailability and toxicity

Determination of Arsenic Species Distribution in Arsenide Tailings and Leakage Using Geochemical and Geophysical Methods

This study describes the distribution of arsenic mobile species in the tailings of Cu–Co–Ni–arsenide using the sequential extraction and determining the contents of arsenate (AsV) and arsenite (AsIII). The object of this study is the tailings ponds of the Tuvakobalt plant, which contains waste from the hydrometallurgical arsenide ore processing of the Khovu-Aksy deposit (Republic of Tuva, Russia). A procedure of sequential extraction for arsenic was applied, and it includes the extraction of the following forms: water-soluble, potentially water-soluble and exchangeable, easily sorbed on the surface of carbonates, associated with Fe/Mn oxides/hydroxides, associated with easily oxidized minerals, and accounted for by non-oxidized arsenic minerals. This procedure, which takes into account the peculiarities of the physical and chemical composition of the waste, was supplemented by the analytical determination of the arsenite and arsenate content by using the methods of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) combined with the hydride generation technique (HG-ICP-AES). The content of the most mobile forms of arsenic, which are water-soluble, potentially water-soluble, and exchangeable species, is equal to 56% of the total arsenic content, 23% and 33% of which are arsenite and arsenate, respectively. Unlike arsenic, the mobile forms of metals have been determined in small quantities. The largest proportion of water-soluble and exchangeable forms is formed by Mg, Ca, and Sr at 11, 9.4, and 20%, respectively (residual and redeposited carbonates). The proportion of water-soluble forms of other metals (Cu, Zn, Co, and Ni) is < 1% or 0. The main part of the metals is adsorbed on the surface of Fe and Mn hydroxides, enclosed in easily and hardly oxidized minerals. In addition to geochemical studies, the presence of leaks from the tailing ponds into ground waters was determined by using electrical resistivity tomography. The data obtained indicate a high environmental hazard of tailings and the possibility of water-soluble and highly toxic arsenic compounds entering ground waters and aquifers

Transfer and Distribution of Metals and Metalloids in Carassius auratus Organs from Tailings Pond and Their Influence on Morphological Characteristics

This article provides the results of the elemental composition study of Carassius auratus organs living in the Komsomolsk mine tailings pond, in which the water contains elevated concentrations of metals and metalloids. It was determined with an electrotomography survey that the pond is bordered vertically and laterally with highly conductive zones, in which pore waters are high-mineralized solutions. Due to the constant infiltration of solutions into the pond water, a stable composition is formed with elevated concentrations of a number of elements (sulfate-ion, As, Sb, Zn, Cd, Se, and others) exceeding background values. In the organs of Carassius auratus living in the pond, the accumulation of many elements occurs, the largest Sb, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb and to a lesser extent Al, Cu, Zn, and Se. Moreover, the concentration of elements is selective. In total, the greatest excess of element concentrations over background values was determined in the heart (15,000 times) and gills (4100 times) of fish, the smallest in muscles (1900 times) and liver (2000 times). The impact of the accumulation of metals and metalloids in fish organs influenced the metabolic rate, a decrease in the growth rate of Carassius auratus, and the appearance of dwarf forms

Transfer and Distribution of Metals and Metalloids in <em>Carassius auratus</em> Organs from Tailings Pond and Their Influence on Morphological Characteristics

This article provides the results of the elemental composition study of Carassius auratus organs living in the Komsomolsk mine tailings pond, in which the water contains elevated concentrations of metals and metalloids. It was determined with an electrotomography survey that the pond is bordered vertically and laterally with highly conductive zones, in which pore waters are high-mineralized solutions. Due to the constant infiltration of solutions into the pond water, a stable composition is formed with elevated concentrations of a number of elements (sulfate-ion, As, Sb, Zn, Cd, Se, and others) exceeding background values. In the organs of Carassius auratus living in the pond, the accumulation of many elements occurs, the largest Sb, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb and to a lesser extent Al, Cu, Zn, and Se. Moreover, the concentration of elements is selective. In total, the greatest excess of element concentrations over background values was determined in the heart (15,000 times) and gills (4100 times) of fish, the smallest in muscles (1900 times) and liver (2000 times). The impact of the accumulation of metals and metalloids in fish organs influenced the metabolic rate, a decrease in the growth rate of Carassius auratus, and the appearance of dwarf forms