Centro de Investigación Aplicada en Ambiente y Salud, Facultad de Medicina-CIACYT, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, México.
Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, México.
Ann Glob Health. 2016 Jan-Feb;82(1):149-55. doi: 10.1016/j.aogh.2016.01.014.
Mercury is an element that cannot be destroyed and is a global threat to human and environmental health. In Latin America and the Caribbean, artisanal and small-scale gold mining represents the main source of mercury emissions, releases, and consumption. However, another source of concern is the primary production of mercury. In the case of Mexico, in the past 2 years the informal production of mercury mining has increased 10-fold. Considering this scenario, an intervention program was initiated to reduce health risks in the mining communities. The program's final goal is to introduce different alternatives in line to stop the mining of mercury, but introducing at the same time, a community-based development program.
The aim of this study was to present results from a preliminary study in the community of Plazuela, located in the municipality of Peñamiller in the State of Queretaro, Mexico.
Total mercury was measured in urine and environmental samples using atomic absorption spectrometry by cold vapor technique. Urine samples were collected from children aged 6-14 years and who had lived in the selected area from birth. Urine samples were also collected from miners who were currently working in the mine. To confirm the presence of mercury in the community, mining waste, water, soil, and sediment samples were collected from those high-risk areas identified by members of the community.
Children, women, and miners were heavily exposed to mercury (urine samples); and in agreement, we registered high concentrations of mercury in soils and sediments.
Considering these results and taking into account that the risk perception toward mercury toxicity is very low in the community (mining is the only economic activity), an integral intervention program has started.
汞是一种无法被破坏的元素，对人类和环境健康构成全球性威胁。在拉丁美洲和加勒比地区，手工和小规模采金业是汞排放、释放和消耗的主要来源。然而，另一个令人关注的来源是汞的初级生产。就墨西哥而言，在过去的 2 年中，汞矿的非正规生产增加了 10 倍。考虑到这种情况，启动了一个干预计划，以降低采矿业社区的健康风险。该计划的最终目标是引入不同的替代方案，以停止汞矿开采，同时引入一个以社区为基础的发展计划。
本研究旨在介绍墨西哥克雷塔罗州佩尼亚米勒市普拉泽拉社区初步研究的结果。
使用原子吸收光谱法通过冷蒸气技术测量尿液和环境样本中的总汞。采集了 6-14 岁且出生后一直在选定地区生活的儿童的尿液样本。还采集了目前在矿山工作的矿工的尿液样本。为了确认社区中存在汞，从社区成员确定的高风险地区采集了采矿废物、水、土壤和沉积物样本。
儿童、妇女和矿工受到汞的严重暴露（尿液样本）；而且，我们在土壤和沉积物中登记了高浓度的汞。
考虑到这些结果，并且考虑到社区对汞毒性的风险认知非常低（采矿是唯一的经济活动），已经启动了一个综合干预计划。
