Abandoned mining-metallurgical sites can significantly impact the environment and human health by accumulating heavy metals in aquatic ecosystems. The water in the sub-basin near an abandoned smelting facility in the city of La Oroya, Peru, is primarily used for pisciculture. The objective of this study was to assess the risk to human health from exposure to heavy metals via dietary intake of rainbow trout () in the influence area of a smelting facility located in the central Andean region of Peru.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is a need to define mine tailings in a clear, precise, multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and holistic manner, considering not only geotechnical and hydraulic concepts but also integrating environmental and geochemical aspects with implications for the sustainability of mining. This article corresponds to an independent study that answers questions concerning the definition of mine tailings and the socio-environmental risks linked with mine tailings chemical composition by examining the practical experience of industrial-scale copper and gold mining projects in Chile and Peru. Definitions of concepts and analysis of key aspects in the responsible management of mine tailings, such as characterization of metallic-metalloid components, non-metallic components, metallurgical reagents, and risk identification, among others, are presented.
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