Academic literature on the topic 'Contamination of mine sites (England)'
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Journal articles on the topic "Contamination of mine sites (England)"
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Beaudoin, Georges, and Réginald Auger. "Implications of the mineralogy and chemical composition of lead beads from Frobisher's assay site, Kodlunarn Island, Canada: prelude to Bre-X?" Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 41, no. 6 (June 1, 2004): 669–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e03-097.
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Lead beads recovered from a 16th century archaeological site on Kodlunarn Island in Frobisher Bay are believed to be a by-product of assaying rocks mined from various locations by Martin Frobisher's expeditions in 15771578. The lead beads were melted in crucibles to separate gold from its rock matrix. Microprobe analyses of galena grains in the lead indicate that they contain up to 0.4 wt.% silver but no gold. The chemical composition of the lead beads was determined in situ by electron microprobe and in bulk by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and pyrolysis assay. The lead beads form two chemical composition groups that were recovered from different sites: (Shop 1) Cu-poor, Bi-free, Sb-rich, with 3743 g/t Ag and no detectable gold; (Shop 2) Cu-rich, Bi-rich, Sb-poor, with 7896 g/t Ag and one sample that yielded 0.72 g/t Au. These two groups also have different lead isotope compositions: Shop 1 has low 206Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb compared with Shop 2. These compositions suggest that Shop 1 leads are derived from England, whereas Shop 2 has a composition typical of Cyprus ores and of some deposits in England. The composition of the lead beads indicates that the flux and collector used for the assays on Kodlunarn Island did not introduce a gold-rich contamination. Silver was likely added from the flux or collector used to assay the rocks, a contamination well-known to Renaissance assayers.
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Wan Yaacob, Wan Zuhairi, Nur Syuhadah Mohd Pauzi, and Hazwani Abdul Mutalib. "Acid mine drainage and heavy metals contamination at abandoned and active mine sites in Pahang." Bulletin of the Geological Society of Malaysia 55 (November 1, 2009): 15–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.7186/bgsm55200903.
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Khalil, Abdessamad, Yassine Taha, Mostafa Benzaazoua, and Rachid Hakkou. "Applied Methodological Approach for the Assessment of Soil Contamination by Trace Elements around Abandoned Coal Mines—A Case Study of the Jerada Coal Mine, Morocco." Minerals 13, no. 2 (January 26, 2023): 181. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/min13020181.
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Previously conducted studies have established that soil contamination by trace elements (TEs) around coal mines affects ecological biodiversity and human health. One of the ways to protect the health of the surrounding population of coal mine sites is through the assessment of contamination impacts by accurate procedures for the establishment of relevant reclamation plan. The aim of the study is to develop an applied methodological approach to easily assess and quantify the impact of coal mining on the surrounding soils. To achieve this goal, a set of relevant geochemical indexes (enrichment factor—EF, geochemical background—GB, and geoaccumulation index—Igeo) and a geostatistical interpolation for mapping soil contamination were applied. It is experimentally established that the process of combining these techniques can be of great interest in highlighting the anomalous areas and revealing the contamination sources. A case study has been carried out on of the abandoned coal Jerada mine site in Morocco. Soils and coal mine waste rocks (CMWR) samples were collected from this site. Soil and CMWR samples were analyzed for their geochemical content. CMWRs were characterized further for their mineralogical composition and environmental behavior. Based on the EF, three TEs (As, Pb, and Zn) were targeted. The results of GB and Igeo calculations have established an evident relationship between the CMWR dump and the occurred soil contamination. TEs distribution pattern has been revealed using the obtained geochemical maps. The developed methodological approach may be in high demand when assessing soil contamination in most of abandoned coal mine sites around the word.
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BOUMAZA, Bilal, and Tatyana Vladimirovna CHEKUSHINA. "Assessment of metallic trace elements contamination in a mining area of the processing of Djebel Onk phosphate ore (Algeria)." NEWS of the Ural State Mining University 1 (March 15, 2021): 7–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.21440/2307-2091-2021-1-7-16.
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Research relevance. Phosphate mining activities are one of the main sources of contamination by heavy metals since they harmfully affect the soil and lead to the degradation of the ecosphere. Research aim. This study aims at characterizing and evaluating the metallic contamination of soils in the vicinity of the Djebel Onk mine in the town of Bir El Ater (Wilaya of Tébessa) in eastern Algeria, and particularly focusing on estimating the spatial variability of this contamination and the extent of the contaminated area. Methodology. The physicochemical characteristic (pH) was determined by pH-meter, whereas AAS was used for the determination of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd) in the examined soil Research results. The results reveal that soils that are close to the mine site studied and even those that are far away are heavily contaminated with heavy metals — lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd); the results also point out to a high variability of concentrations not only between sampling sites but also within the same mine site. The analysed soil pollution index is generally high even for soils sampled downstream more than 30 km from the mine site, whereas it is extremely high on the surface of the tailings slopes, underlining the fact that tailings are considered perennial sources of heavy metal contamination in their current state. Conclusion. The unhealthy area affected by metal pollution from mining sites in the Djebel Onk is very large as a result of the dispersion, by wind and water transport, of residual pollutants from the mine wastes abandoned on site. Remediation measures must be put into place to immobilize the pollutants and limit their spread to the environment Keywords: Soil contamination, Algeria, heavy metals, phosphate mine, pollution index.
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Staniszewski, Ryszard, Przemysław Niedzielski, Tadeusz Sobczyński, and Mariusz Sojka. "Trace Elements in Sediments of Rivers Affected by Brown Coal Mining: A Potential Environmental Hazard." Energies 15, no. 8 (April 13, 2022): 2828. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en15082828.
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Brown coal remains an important energy source in Europe, including countries such as Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Greece. Open-pit mines disturb the environment in terms of air quality, hydrology, and chemical and biological transformations in rivers receiving mine waters. In the present study, we assessed the impact of mine waters from four brown coal open-pit mines on the contamination of river sediments. Chemical analysis included the quantification of 62 elements, including heavy metals (HMs) and rare earth elements (REEs). The contamination of sediments by HMs was evaluated using the contamination factor (CF), the pollution load index (PLI), and the Nemerow multi-factor index (PI). The potential toxic effects of HMs on aquatic organisms were assessed using the potential ecological risk index (PERI). Detailed analysis of chondrite-standardized concentrations of REEs was performed to describe the effects of mine water on their pattern in sediments. Cluster analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were employed to divide study sites into groups and to evaluate the combined effect of sediment texture and site location on HMs and REEs in sediments. The study showed that after mine water discharge, there is a decrease in HM and REE concentrations in sediments. The decrease in each element’s concentration in sites located 100 m downstream of the discharge was caused by washing out of the finest fractions of sediments by mine waters.
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Sivarajah, Branaavan, Neal Michelutti, Xiaowa Wang, Christopher Grooms, and John P. Smol. "Limnological Characteristics Reveal Metal Pollution Legacy in Lakes near Canada’s Northernmost Mine, Little Cornwallis Island, Nunavut." ARCTIC 74, no. 2 (June 8, 2021): 167–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.14430/arctic72515.
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We compared modern limnological characteristics of three lakes near the world’s northernmost base metal (lead-zinc) mine, Polaris Mine, which operated from 1981 to 2002 on Little Cornwallis Island (Nunavut, Canada), to a suite of sites from Resolute Bay (Qausuittuq), Cornwallis Island. Although both study regions are underlain by broadly similar geology and experience nearly identical climatic conditions, present-day water chemistry variables differed markedly between sites on the two islands. Specifically, the lakes near the Polaris Mine recorded substantially higher concentrations of zinc and lead, as well as several other heavy metals (cadmium, molybdenum, nickel, uranium, vanadium), relative to the sites on Cornwallis Island. Although the Polaris Mine closed in 2002, elevated levels of heavy metals in our 2017 survey are likely a legacy of contamination from prior operations.
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Lee, Jin Soo, Hyo Taek Chon, and Myung Chae Jung. "Toxic Risk Assessment and Environmental Contamination of Heavy Metals around Abandoned Metal Mine Sites in Korea." Key Engineering Materials 277-279 (January 2005): 542–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/kem.277-279.542.
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In order to investigate the levels of heavy metal contamination and to assess the risk of the adverse health effects on human exposure to toxic heavy metals influenced by past mining activities, environmental geochemical surveys were undertaken around abandoned metal mine sites (Okdong Cu-Pb-Zn, Dokok Au-Ag-Cu and Hwacheon Au-Ag-Pb-Zn mines). High concentrations of heavy metals were found in tailings from the Okdong (72 As mg/kg, 53.6 Cd mg/kg, 910 Cu mg/kg, 1,590 Pb mg/kg, 5,720 Zn mg/kg), the Dokok (254 As mg/kg, 98.2 Cd mg/kg, 2,550 Cu mg/kg, 4,200 Pb mg/kg, 18,020 Zn mg/kg) and the Hwacheon (72 As mg/kg, 12.4 Cd mg/kg, 580 Pb mg/kg, 1,300 Zn mg/kg) mines. Elevated levels of As, Cd, Pb and Zn were also found in agricultural soils from these mine areas. Human risk effects are classified into a cancer effect and a toxic (noncancer) effect. The hazard index representing a toxic risk for As was higher value than 1.0 in the Okdong and the Hwacheon mine sites, as was that for Cd in the Okdong and Dokok mine sites. Therefore, toxic risks for As and Cd exist via exposure (ingestion) to the contaminated soil, groundwater and rice grains in these mine areas. The cancer risk for As by the consumption of groundwater used as drinking water from the Okdong and the Hwacheon mine areas was 7E-4 and 1E-4, respectively. These risk levels exceed the acceptable risk (1 in 100,000) for regulatory purposes.
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Yin, Chun Qin, Qing Bin Sun, and Xue Qiang Zhao. "Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination in Paddy Soils from Daye Mining Area of Hubei Province, China." Advanced Materials Research 599 (November 2012): 434–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.599.434.
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The occurrence and distribution of heavy metals (including copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni) and manganese (Mn)) in paddy soils from the Daye mining area were investigated by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) using the flame and graphite furnace method. The pollution of all metals investigated was found in paddy soil samples from the Daye mining area. Additionally, Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd concentrations at the sampling sites near the quarries and mines located in the central and eastern part of Daye were higher than those at the other sampling sites. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) of the heavy metal concentrations showed that the mine might be an important contributor to heavy metals contamination. PCA analysis extracted two factors that explained 67% of the total variables. The source of Zn, Cd, Cu and Pb would be primarily the deposition of aerosol particles emitted by metal smelting, manufacturing and traffic, acid mine drainage and metal mine waste rock and long-term stockpiling of tailings. Ni and Cr were controlled by parent material in the soils. Evaluation of heavy metals contamination of paddy soils indicated that the Cd contamination was the most widespread, followed Cu, Ni, Zn and Pb.
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Lee, Younji, Minseok Park, and Seunghun Hyun. "Leaching Behavior of Metallic Elements from Abandoned Mine Sites in Varying Environmental Factors." Institute of Life Science and Natural Resources 30 (December 31, 2022): 87–100. http://dx.doi.org/10.33147/lsnrr.2022.30.1.87.
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Improper management of abandoned mine sites can cause heavy metal contamination of down-gradient agricultural soil, groundwater, and surface water. In this study, we investigated the effects of changes in environmental factors on the leaching behavior of the heavy metals and suggested future research direction for better risk management of the abandoned mine sites under climate change. Numerous studies showed that the concentration of heavy metals in the leachate frequently exceed the environmental criteria even though the leachable heavy metal was negligible (< 1 % of the total concentration), which indicates that mine soils can be long-term resources of contamination. From the result of batch and column experiments, it has been found that soil properties (e.g., soil pH, redox potential, etc.) affect the leaching behavior by solubility change, complex formation, precipitation, etc. Two-site kinetic leaching models were mainly applied for understanding nonequilibrium leaching behavior of the metals due to heterogeneous physical structure and various binding sites of the soil. Meanwhile, it was also reported that the change in hydrodynamic properties due to rainfall pattern can influence leaching behavior by changing the interfacial interaction between soil and water. Several researchers recognized that extreme weather condition (high temperature and increased drought period) due to climate change can elevate initial leaching concentration of the heavy metal. In reality, climate change can cause the nonequilibrium leaching of the metals by influencing hydrodynamic condition and chemical stability of the soil system. Therefore, future works to precisely predict the heavy metal leaching behavior across abandoned mine sites are necessary and risk management of these sites in response to climate change should be designed.
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Karaca, Oznur, Claudio Cameselle, and Krishna R. Reddy. "Mine tailing disposal sites: contamination problems, remedial options and phytocaps for sustainable remediation." Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology 17, no. 1 (November 18, 2017): 205–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11157-017-9453-y.
Full textDissertations / Theses on the topic "Contamination of mine sites (England)"
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Sharples, Jade, of Western Sydney Nepean University, Faculty of Science and Technology, and School of Science. "Role of the ericoid mycorrhizal fungus Hymenoscyphus ericae in arsenate resistance of Calluna vulgaris at contaminated mine sites." THESIS_FST_SS_Sharples_J.xml, 2000. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/388.
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Calluna vulgaris L.Hull readily colonises arsenate contaminated mine spoil soils in south-west(SW)England.At these sites, it forms mycorrhizal association with the ericoid ascomycete fungus Hymenoscyphus ericae. The initial aim of this study was to investigate the physiological response of H.ericae populations to arsenate.Mine site populations were found to have evolved arsenate resistance in comparison to the heathland population.This research demonstrates the evolution of arsenate resistance through an enhanced arsenite efflux in populations of H.ericae from As contaminated mine spoil soils. H.ericae also confers arsenate resistance to C.vulgaris. The ecological significance of these findings is discussed.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Sharples, Jade. "Role of the ericoid mycorrhizal fungus Hymenoscyphus ericae in arsenate resistance of Calluna vulgaris at contaminated mine sites." Thesis, View thesis View thesis, 2000. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/388.
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Calluna vulgaris L.Hull readily colonises arsenate contaminated mine spoil soils in south-west(SW)England.At these sites, it forms mycorrhizal association with the ericoid ascomycete fungus Hymenoscyphus ericae. The initial aim of this study was to investigate the physiological response of H.ericae populations to arsenate.Mine site populations were found to have evolved arsenate resistance in comparison to the heathland population.This research demonstrates the evolution of arsenate resistance through an enhanced arsenite efflux in populations of H.ericae from As contaminated mine spoil soils. H.ericae also confers arsenate resistance to C.vulgaris. The ecological significance of these findings is discussed.
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Martin, Rachael. "Historical mine sites as modern-day sources of contamination : Measurement and characterisation of arsenic in historical gold mine wastes to identify the potential for mobility and human exposure." Thesis, Federation University Australia, 2017. http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/${Handle}.
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Centuries of metalliferous mining activities have resulted in a legacy of contamination throughout the world. Unremediated mine wastes and tailings, as well as contaminated soils, water and sediments, represent ongoing sources of environmental degradation and human exposure, long after mine closure and abandonment. Despite global concern over these contaminant sources, there remain uncertainties surrounding the nature of human exposure to mine wastes and their toxicologically relevant characteristics. As urbanisation expands into areas proximal to abandoned mine sites, an understanding of the human-contaminant interface at this boundary is critical for assessing the potential health risks. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap by investigating the importance of particle size as a factor governing the distribution of metals and metalloids in historical gold mine wastes in regional Victoria, Australia, with an emphasis on arsenic as a contaminant of potential concern. By characterising those particle size fractions that are relevant to dust mobilisation and human exposure, this thesis examines the human-contaminant interface using a multi-pathway approach. In particular, this thesis focuses on the potential for exposure via inhalation of mine waste particulates. The outcomes of the studies presented in this body of work demonstrate that historical gold mine wastes in regional Victoria represent a source of readily ingestible and inhalable particulates characterised by extremely elevated levels of arsenic (and other contaminants) well above their bulk (in situ) concentrations. Although lung bioaccessibility testing and mineralogical analyses revealed that most of the arsenic in inhalable dust has been naturally immobilised, the lung-soluble fraction should be considered when undertaking risk assessments for chronic exposure. This thesis provides a framework for the development of targeted management strategies for unremediated historical gold mining wastes in regional Victoria. The findings suggest there is a need for environmental regulations to shift from generic guideline values to exposure-specific guidelines that more accurately reflect the human health risks posed by historical mine sites. This thesis has emphasised the notion that in order for remedial action to accurately match the level of risk, the sourcepathway- receptor linkage must be evaluated using a systematic size-resolved approach.Doctor of Philosophy
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Ghorbel, Ben Abid Manel. "Contamination métallique issue des déchets de l'ancien site minier de Jebel Ressas : modélisation des mécanismes de transfert et conception de cartes d'aléa post-mine dans un contexte carbonaté et sous un climat semi-aride : évaluation du risque pour la santé humaine." Phd thesis, Toulouse 3, 2012. http://www.theses.fr/2012TOU30120.
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Une approche pluridisciplinaire intégrée a été proposée pour étudier le transfert de la contamination métallique depuis les déchets de l'ancien site minier à Pb-Zn de Jebel Ressas, jusqu'à l'être humain. Nous avons pris en considération à la fois les caractéristiques physico-chimiques de la source, les conditions climatiques et la topographie pour hiérarchiser les vecteurs de la dispersion des métaux à partir des déchets de laverie de l'ancienne mine de Jebel Ressas. Le vecteur éolien est le principal agent capable de disperser les métaux dans toutes les directions, avec des quantités variables pouvant dépasser les normes de la qualité des l'air pour Pb et Cd sur plusieurs centaines de mètres loin de la source. Le transfert hydrique particulaire est assez limité à cause de la topographie douce au tour des terrils de déchets. Le transfert en solution est négligeable grâce à l'environnement carbonaté. L'investigation sur le risque des métaux pour la santé humaine au village de Jebel Ressas montre d'abord que, d'une part l'environnement carbonaté et d'autre part le pH neutre des fluides physiologiques dans le corps humain, limitent le passage en solution des métaux et leurs quantités bioaccessibles. Toutefois, Pb et Cd présentent un risque surtout pour les enfants en plus d'un effet cancérigène probable pour toute la populationAn integrated multidisciplinary method was proposed to study the transfer of metallic contamination from the waste of the old mining site (Pb-Zn) of Jebel Ressas, to Humans. We considered the physico-chemical characteristics of the source, the climate conditions and the topography to rank the dispersion vectors of metals from the treatment wastes to the environment. The wind is the main agent of scattering metals in all directions, with variable quantities which may exceed the standards of air quality for Pb and Cd up to several hundreds of meters far from the source. The particle hydric transfer is limited because of the soft topography around the waste dumps. The transfer in solution is negligible thanks to the carbonated environment. The risk assessment for human health at the village of Jebel Ressas show that carbonated environment and the neutral pH of physiological fluids in the body, limits metals dissolution and their bioaccessible amounts. However, Pb and Cd may induce a risk especially for children as well as a probable carcinogenic for the entire population
Book chapters on the topic "Contamination of mine sites (England)"
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Lacerda, L. D., and W. Salomons. "Mercury Contamination from New World Gold and Silver Mine Tailings." In Mercury Contaminated Sites, 73–87. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 1999. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03754-6_3.
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Lee, Jin Soo, Hyo Taek Chon, and Myung Chae Jung. "Toxic Risk Assessment and Environmental Contamination of Heavy Metals around Abandoned Metal Mine Sites in Korea." In Key Engineering Materials, 542–47. Stafa: Trans Tech Publications Ltd., 2005. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/0-87849-958-x.542.
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DeGraff, Jerome V., Michelle Rogow, and Pat Trainor. "Approaches to contamination at mercury mill sitesExamples from California and Idaho." In Understanding and Responding to Hazardous Substances at Mine Sites in the Western United States. Geological Society of America, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/2007.4017(07).
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Okereafor, Godwin, Mamookho Makhatha, Lukhanyo Mekuto, and Vuyo Mavumengwana. "Evaluation of Trace Elemental Levels as Pollution Indicators in an Abandoned Gold Mine Dump in Ekurhuleni Area, South Africa." In Trace Metals in the Environment - New Approaches and Recent Advances. IntechOpen, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.89582.
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In the Blesbokspruit area of Ekuhurleni, South Africa, previous gold mining activities resulted in many tailings dump sites. 20 representative soil samples were used in describing the distribution of metals. The soils were very strongly acidic ranging from 3.86 to 4.34 with a low cation exchange capacity (CEC). Based on X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, elemental composition of the soils revealed average values of major elements such as Na2O (0.18%), MgO (0.63%), Al2O3 (6.51%), SiO2 (81.83%), P2O5 (0.04%), SO3 (3.40%), K2O (1.98%), CaO (0.45%), TiO2 (0.51%), Cr2O3 (0.17%), MnO (0.04%), Fe2O3 (3.59%), NiO (0.04%), As2O3 (0.02%), with Rb2O and SrO falling below 0.01%. Trace metals (TM) contamination levels in the soils were evaluated using various pollution indices which revealed that over 60% of the soils were between the high degree and the ultra-high degree of contamination classes. The concentration of various trace metals varies from 860.3–862.6 mg/kg for Cr; 324.9–328.4 mg/kg for Al; 200.9–203.4 mg/kg for As; 130.1–136.2 mg/kg for Fe; 121.9–125.8 mg/kg for Pb; 27.3–30.2 mg/kg for Co; 23.8–26.8 mg/kg for Ni; 7.2–9.2 mg/kg for Ti; 7.1–9.2 mg/kg for Cd; 4.0–5.6 mg/kg for Zn and 0.1–0.6 mg/kg for Cu.
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Carlmark, B., and A. Lindvall. "Mercury, a Toxic Metal, and Dental Amalgam Removal." In Geology and Health. Oxford University Press, 2003. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195162042.003.0016.
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Mercury is an element with unique physical and chemical properties whose deleterious effects on various organ systems have been known for centuries. The metal (Hg°) mercury is the only element liquid at ambient temperatures and has an extremely high vapor pressure. Natural degassing of the earth’s crust by volcanoes and emissions from soils and waters are estimated to contribute on the order of 2700 to 30,000 tons per year (Nriagu 1989, Lindqvist 1991). A second source of mercury is anthropogenic from burning of coal or petroleum. The total input into the atmosphere may be up to 150,000 tons per year, with natural emissions accounting for the major input (Berlin 1986). However, estimations of contributions from different sources vary. Aristotle wrote about mercury as liquid silver (hydrargyrum) with the metallic mercury extracted in ancient times, as today, from the sulphide mineral cinnabar (HgS). Although technical developments have brought about more sophisticated methods of distilling mercury, all processes create mercury vapor, which is a potential hazard. Mercury mines pose environmental concern, due to mine tailings and waste rock contributing mercury-enriched sediment to watersheds (Rytuba 2000) such as in the California Coast Ranges (Rytuba 2000), the Idria mine in Slovenia (Hines et al. 2000), in Slovakia (Svoboda et al. 2000), and, perhaps most conspicuously, the mine tailings in Aznacollar, Spain, that caused a recent accident (Grimalt et al. 1999). Any industrial sites that utilize mercury during production may also produce contamination of the environment (Sunderland and Chmura 2000). The possible sources of mercury exposure are presented in Table 10.1. Amalgamation with mercury has been used as a method for beneficiation of gold and silver since Roman times. The total global release of mercury into the environment from these activities before 1930 was estimated as over 260,000 tons. Thereafter, with the introduction of cyanidation processing technology, the emissions declined (Lacerda and Solomons 1998). However, small-scale artisanal gold mining continues and is a serious hazard to largely unskilled persons in rural areas over the world.
Conference papers on the topic "Contamination of mine sites (England)"
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Pearce, Steven, and K. McKay. "Rapid on-site screening for historic contamination at mine sites." In First International Seminar on the Reduction of Risk in the Management of Tailings and Mine Waste. Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, 2010. http://dx.doi.org/10.36487/acg_rep/1008_32_pearce.
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Bartlett, Angela, Mike Davies, Peter Burgess, and Gavin Coppins. "Integrating History and Measurement Into a Case for Site Release." In ASME 2011 14th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management. ASMEDC, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/icem2011-59131.
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The United Kingdom nuclear research programme started in the 1940s. Research Sites Restoration Limited (RSRL) is responsible for the restoration of two sites which were at the forefront of this research, under a programme funded by the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). These are the 100 hectare Harwell site in Oxfordshire and the 84 hectare Winfrith site on the south coast of England. The work performed on these sites covered a huge range of nuclides, combinations of nuclides, chemical and physical processes, far more complicated than a power station, for example. The sites have a complex history with records of hundreds of buildings, many kilometres of drainage systems, groundwater contamination issues and land areas which require remediation. Formal work towards site release began in the 1990s, but demolition and clearance for re-use started many years earlier. An efficient restoration programme requires appropriate quality data. It is vital to decide what you need to know and how well you need to know it. As part of this, a challenging number of factors need to be considered in its design. This paper discusses these factors using the examples of the approach used at the Harwell and Winfrith sites including: • historical knowledge and associated uncertainties; • relevant clearance criteria; • availability and limitations of surveying equipment; • effective targeted and validation sampling with appropriate analytical methods; • data capture and analysis techniques; • effective communication between RSRL and the relevant technical teams; • mapping technologies (Global Positioning Systems, Geographical Information Systems); • use of Babcock’s IMAGES land quality software tool; • integration of the above over long time scales. The RSRL programme of works at the Harwell and Winfrith Sites is producing large volumes of different types of information from decommissioning, site investigation and remediation projects. This will be required to be accessible and understandable to support the process of site release which will continue over many years. The paper illustrates the methods by which RSRL is using effective knowledge management to compile a verifiable record to support site release as the site restoration works progress.
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Lewcock, Andrew, Colette Grundy, Catherine Shaw, Paddy Copeland, and Duncan Jackson. "Managing the Removal of Radioactive Materials Found in Public Locations." In ASME 2009 12th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management. ASMEDC, 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/icem2009-16032.
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Managing the removal of Radioactive Materials found in public locations. In January 2006 the Environment Agency for England and Wales requested assistance in preparing a project to plan, collect and safely dispose of radium painted aluminium aircraft hatches, discovered in 3 separate business premises in the UK. These World-War Two aircraft hatches had been marked with radium “luminous” paint, to guide crew in the dark to the escape exits if they needed to bale out. The hatches had been stored since the early 1960s in one location, with some of the inventory being moved two other locations in 2003/2004. The North West Region of the Environment Agency appointed a consortium of Enviros, Safeguard International and Aurora Health Physics to undertake the work, and they funded it from the sealed sources disposal budget. The paper will set out how the project was complicated by an assortment of “real world” problems; preliminary estimates of both the activity per hatch and the number of hatches established the potential for a significant quantity of radium to be disposed of safely. The total number of hatches was not known for sure at the start of the work. Access to retrieve the majority of the frames was hazardous due to the poor structural condition of the building roof. Other difficulties included constrained access under a railway line, and bird-related biohazards. The sites involved in the collections were not intended to house radioactive materials, so physical security was another important issue. Some of the hatches were known to be in poor condition, with a very high probability of radium contamination being spread to the surrounding areas. The hatches had to be removed from the sites before the full extent of contamination of other materials could be established. As it was difficult to identify a disposal route in the UK at the time for the estimated inventory, a novel metal recycling option, using a facility in the USA, was proposed as a solution. This was a new approach for dealing with such radioactive materials in the UK. The hatches were successfully recovered, sectioned appropriately and packaged for transport by road and air to the USA for metal recycling in June 2007. Subsequently approximately 0.75 tonnes of other contaminated materials were finally removed from the premises later in the year for authorised waste disposal in the UK.
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Geddes, Brian, Chris Wenzel, Michael Owen, Mark Gardiner, and Julie Brown. "Remediation of Canada’s Historic Haul Route for Radium and Uranium Ores: The Northern Transportation Route." In ASME 2011 14th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management. ASMEDC, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/icem2011-59303.
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Established in the 1930s, the Northern Transportation Route (NTR) served to transport pitchblende ore 2,200 km from the Port Radium Mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories to Fort McMurray in Alberta. From there, the ore was shipped 3,000 km by rail to the Town of Port Hope, Ontario, where it was refined for its radium content and used for medical purposes. Later, transport and refinement focussed on uranium. The corridor of lakes, rivers, portages and roads that made up the NTR included a number of transfer points, where ore was unloaded and transferred to other barges or trucks. Ore was occasionally spilled during these transfer operations and, in some cases, subsequently distributed over larger areas as properties were re-developed or modified. In addition, relatively small volumes of ore were sometimes transported by air to the south. Since 1991, the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Office (LLRWMO), working with communities and its consulting contractors, has conducted surveys to identify and characterize spill sites along the NTR where soils exhibit elevated concentrations of uranium, radium and/or arsenic. In addition to significant areas of impact in Fort McMurray, contamination along the NTR was centred in the Sahtu region near Great Bear Lake and along the southern part of the Slave River. Early radiological investigations found contaminated buildings and soil and occasionally discrete pieces of pitchblende ore at many transfer points and storage areas along the NTR. Where possible, survey work was undertaken in conjunction with property redevelopment activity requiring the relocation of impacted soils (e.g., at Tulita, Fort Smith, Hay River, and Fort McMurray). When feasible to consolidate contaminated material locally, it was placed into Long Term Management Facilities developed to manage and monitor the materials over extended timelines. Radiological activity generated by these engineered facilities are generally below thresholds established by Canadian regulators, meaning they are straightforward to maintain, with minor environmental and community impacts. Securing community acceptance for these facilities is critical, and represents the predominant development component of plans for managing ore-impacted soils. In those circumstances where local consolidation is not achievable, materials have been relocated to disposal facilities outside of the region. The LLRWMO is continuing a program of public consultation, technical evaluation and environmental assessment to develop management plans for the remaining ore-impacted sites on the NTR. This paper will highlight current activities and approaches applied for the responsible management of uranium and radium mining legacies.
Reports on the topic "Contamination of mine sites (England)"
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Greinert, Jens. Mine Monitoring in the German Baltic Sea 2020; Dumped munition monitoring AL548, 03rd – 16th November 2020, Kiel (Germany) – Kiel (Germany) „MineMoni-II 2020“. GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.3289/cr_al548.
Full textAbstract:
ALKOR cruise AL548 took place as part of the EMFF (European Maritime and Fisheries Fund)-funded project BASTA (Boost Applied munition detection through Smart data inTegration and AI workflows; https://www.basta-munition.eu) and as continuation of the munition monitoring started within the BMBF-funded project UDEMM (Environmental Monitoring for the Delaboration of Munition in the Sea; https://udemm.geomar.de/). In October 2018, a first cruise (POS530 MineMoni2018) was conducted, to gather data for a broad baseline study in the German Baltic Sea. Results show a moderate contamination level on regional and coastal scale, but indicate higher levels for specific local areas. Within UDEMM, expertise was developed to detect, exactly locate and monitor munition (e.g. torpedoes, sea mines, ground mines) on the seafloor using optical and hydroacoustic means. In addition, chemical analyses of dissolved contaminants in the water and sediments was performed. Data acquired during this cruise are used in BASTA, which aims for enhanced munition detection via AUV-based artificial intelligence applied on multi-sensor datasets. At the same time, the project ExPloTect (Ex-situ, near-real-time exPlosive compound deTection in seawater) (also EMFF-funded) addresses the need for an innovative approach to detect explosive compounds in seawater. A prototype system was used and successfully tested for the first time during this cruise. The main focus was placed onto the two already known dumpsites Kolberger Heide and Lübeck Bight. Additionally, new areas Falshöft (Schleswig-Holstein) and Cadet Channel, Trollegrund and Großklützhöved (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) were explored. In each area high-resolution multibeam mapping was performed and contact lists, indicating potential munition objects were produced on board. AUV surveys were conducted to ground-truth possible contacts via detailed photograph and magnetometer mapping. This was complemented with towed video (TV)-CTD profiles. The transits to and between those sites were planned along former constraint routes during WWII. These routes were main targets of the British Air Force and mines and bombs can be expected along these ways. During transits water samples were taken with on a CTD- (conductivity, temperature, depth) rosette-mounted Niskin bottles in regular distances, in order to obtain a comprehensive understanding munition compounds (inter alia trinitrotoluene (TNT)) measurements across the German Baltic Sea.