Abreu, Maria Manuela

Africano, Fátima

Costa, Maria do Rosário

Matos, João Xavier

Santos, Ricardo

Teixeira, João Paulo

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Metals and arsenic in soils around abandoned mining areas : assessing their pathways and human health impact

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PostersECNIS International Workshop- Porto 2009 52 Metals and arsenic in soils around abandoned mining areas.Assessing their pathways and human health impact.Fátima Africano 1, João Xavier Matos 2, João Paulo Teixeira 3, Manuela Abreu 4 Mª RosárioCosta 5 and Ricardo Santos 61CeGUL, Faculdade das Ciências, Lisboa;2 LNEG, Beja;3 Departamento de Saúde Ambiental, INSA, Porto;4 ISA-UTL, Lisboa;5 Departamento de Geologia UTAD, Vila Real6 IST-Laboratório de Análises, LisboaMining wastes are sources of environmental contamination and transfer of metals (Fe, Al,Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, As, Pb) to soil, water and crops. Twenty eight small abandoned mines atsouth Portugal present a serious negative environmental impact with a high potential of causingnegative effects in health of exposed humans. Although toxicological effects of metals andarsenic in the concentrations found around mining areas are well known, no attention has beenpaid to possible harmful effects on residents. We propose an assessment of impacts onenvironment and public health in the village of Mina do Bugalho (S. Brás dos Matos), Alandroal.Mina do Bugalho is a small pyrite (FeS2) - chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) – arsenopyrite (FeAsS) orebody. The village was built on the top of slags, containing up to 9000 mg/kg of As, 5000 mg/kgof Cu, 3000 mg/kg of Mn, on which crops for human consumption are cultivated. Coppersulfates precipitate from irrigation water.We present COMETAS, a multidisciplinary pilot project that will (1) Assess the extent ofexposure to heavy metals in the human population, by measuring metals and arsenic in bloodand urine; (2) determine the biological effects of the exposure by the assessment of DNAdamage using the comet assay; (3) identify pathways of potentially toxic metals and associatedelements from mine wastes via soils, waters and agricultural products. The environmentalassessment will include the study of isotopic fractionation of Zn, Fe and Cu in the plant-soilsystem. Lead isotopes will be used to trace the metal sources. Tests will be done for theisotopic studies in blood and urine. A biodiversity study will be carried out using culturaltechniques which will allow having a global screening of the microbes that exist within thisenvironment and that could play an important role in mitigation processes.

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Metals and arsenic in soils around abandoned mining areas : assessing their pathways and human health impact

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