From chemical risk assessment to environmental resources management: the challenge for mining.

On top of significant improvements and progress made through science and engineering in the last century to increase efficiency and reduce impacts of mining to the environment, risk assessment has an important role to play in further reducing such impacts and preventing and mitigating risks. This paper reflects on how risk assessment can improve planning, monitoring and management in mining and mineral processing operations focusing on the importance of better understanding source-pathway-receptor linkages for all stages of mining. However, in light of the ever-growing consumption and demand for raw materials from mining, the need to manage environmental resources more sustainably is becoming increasingly important.

Characterisation of carbon nanotubes in the context of toxicity studies.

Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionise our futures, but has also prompted concerns about the possibility that nanomaterials may harm humans or the biosphere. The unique properties of nanoparticles, that give them novel size dependent functionalities, may also have the potential to cause harm. Discrepancies in existing human health and environmental studies have shown the importance of good quality, well-characterized reference nanomaterials for toxicological studies.

Cadmium levels in Europe: implications for human health.

In this study we used the Forum of European Geological Surveys geochemical baseline data to examine the distribution of cadmium (Cd) in Europe, with a particular reference to the international soil and water guideline values. The highest cadmium levels were found to occur in topsoil and to follow closely the distribution of P(2)O(5), suggesting that the contamination was from the use of rock phosphate fertilizer in intensive arable agriculture. In terms of human health impacts, food (up to several hundred microg/day) was found as the only major route of exposure to Cd for the non-smoking general population.

Screening and prioritisation of chemical risks from metal mining operations, identifying exposure media of concern.

Metals have been central to the development of human civilisation from the Bronze Age to modern times, although in the past, metal mining and smelting have been the cause of serious environmental pollution with the potential to harm human health. Despite problems from artisanal mining in some developing countries, modern mining to Western standards now uses the best available mining technology combined with environmental monitoring, mitigation and remediation measures to limit emissions to the environment. This paper develops risk screening and prioritisation methods previously used for contaminated land on military and civilian sites and engineering systems for the analysis and prioritisation of chemical risks from modern metal mining operations.

Platinum, palladium and rhodium release from vehicle exhaust catalysts and road dust exposed to simulated lung fluids.

The risk associated with the inhalation of platinum group element (PGE) emissions from vehicle exhaust catalysts (VECs) has been investigated by extracting road dust and milled auto catalyst with simulated lung fluids. Gamble's solution (representative of the interstitial fluid of the deep lung) and artificial lysosomal fluid (ALF) (representative of the more acidic environment within the lung) were employed as extraction fluids. The highest PGE release was observed in ALF, implying that inhaled particles would have to be phagocytized before significant amounts of PGEs dissolve.

The estimation of the bioavailabilities of platinum, palladium and rhodium in vehicle exhaust catalysts and road dusts using a physiologically based extraction test.

Platinum group element (PGE) levels in the environment have increased following the introduction of vehicle exhaust catalysts (VECs). In order to evaluate the potential pathways of PGEs from VECs into humans, a physiologically based extraction test (PBET) was used to study the uptake of PGEs by the human digestive tract. The PBET assay was implemented in two phases, to first simulate the passage of ingested soil through the acid conditions of the stomach before it enters the near neutral conditions of the small intestine.