Hajalilou Behzad, Mosaferi Mohammad, Khaleghi Fazel, Jadidi Sakineh, Vosugh Bahram, Fatehifar Esmail
Department of Geology, Payame Noor University of Iran, Tabriz, Iran.
National Public Health Management Center (NPMC), Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Health Promot Perspect. 2011 Jul 25;1(1):62-70. doi: 10.5681/hpp.2011.006. eCollection 2011.
Pollution due to mining activities could have an important role in health and welfare of people who are living in mining area. When mining operation finishes, environ-ment of mining area can be influenced by related pollution e.g. heavy metals emission to wa-ter resources. The present study was aimed to evaluate Valiloo abandoned arsenic mine ef-fects on drinking water resources quality and possible health effects on the residents of min-ing area in the North West of Iran.
Water samples and some limited composite wheat samples in downstream of min-ing area were collected. Water samples were analyzed for chemical parameters according to standard methods. For determination of arsenic in water samples, Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometric Method (GFAAS) and for wheat samples X - Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Method (ICP) were used. Information about possible health effects due to exposure to arsenic was collected through interviews in studied villages and health center of Herris City.
The highest concentrations of arsenic were measured near the mine (as high as 2000 µg/L in Valiloo mine opening water). With increasing distance from the mine, concentration was decreased. Arsenic was not detectable in any of wheat samples. Fortunately, no health effects had been reported between residents of studied area due to exposure to arsenic.
Valiloo abandoned arsenic mine has caused release of arsenic to the around en-vironment of the mine, so arsenic concentration has been increased in the groundwater and also downstream river that requires proper measures to mitigate spread of arsenic.
采矿活动造成的污染可能对矿区居民的健康和福祉产生重要影响。采矿作业结束后，矿区环境可能会受到相关污染的影响，例如重金属排放到水资源中。本研究旨在评估瓦利卢废弃砷矿对饮用水资源质量的影响以及对伊朗西北部矿区居民可能产生的健康影响。
采集了矿区下游的水样和一些有限的小麦混合样本。根据标准方法对水样的化学参数进行分析。对于水样中砷的测定，采用石墨炉原子吸收光谱法（GFAAS），对于小麦样本，采用X射线荧光法（XRF）和电感耦合等离子体法（ICP）。通过对研究村庄和赫里斯市卫生中心的访谈，收集了因接触砷可能产生的健康影响的信息。
在矿井附近测得的砷浓度最高（瓦利卢矿井开口处的水中高达2000μg/L）。随着与矿井距离的增加，浓度降低。在任何小麦样本中均未检测到砷。幸运的是，研究区域的居民中未报告因接触砷而产生的健康影响。
瓦利卢废弃砷矿已导致砷释放到矿井周围环境中，因此地下水中以及下游河流中的砷浓度有所增加，需要采取适当措施减轻砷的扩散。
