Universidad de Granada, Departamento de Edafología y Química Agrícola, Avda. Fuente Nueva s/n, E-18071, Granada, Spain.
Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC), Avda. de las Palmeras 4, E-18100, Armilla, Granada, Spain.
Chemosphere. 2024 Sep;363:142906. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142906. Epub 2024 Jul 21.
Ore mineralizations in bedrock and their exploitation may have a negative impact on air quality of surrounding urban areas and, subsequently, on human health. This study uses lichens as bioindicators of atmospheric pollution to evaluate the spatial distribution of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the towns close to the massive sulfide deposits of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) in SW Spain. Altogether 89 native lichen samples of Xanthoria parietina were collected from the mining towns, control towns out of the reach of the mining activity, as well as from distal sampling sites. The samples were analyzed for 29 elements after acid digestion. The concentrations for Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Rb, Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, W, Tl, Pb, S, and Fe are significantly higher in the mining towns in comparison to the control towns. The ore mineral-associated PTEs, including Cu, Zn, As, Ba, and Pb, exhibit extreme concentrations in the urban areas close to the mining activity, and particularly in the small settlement of La Dehesa next to the mineral processing plant and the tailings pond. The distal samples confirm the decrease in the concentrations of all PTEs, and these samples present similar values as in the control areas. The results, point at increased bioaccumulation of PTEs in the lichen thalli of the adjacent urban areas, suggesting that the air quality of the adjacent urban areas is locally impacted by the massive polymetallic sulfide deposits which is enhanced by the mining activity. Therefore, monitoring the urban air quality is recommended.
基岩中的矿石矿化及其开采活动可能会对周边城市的空气质量产生负面影响，并进而对人类健康造成影响。本研究利用地衣作为大气污染的生物指示剂，评估了西班牙西南部伊比利亚黄铁矿带（IPB）大规模硫化物矿床附近城镇中潜在有毒元素（PTEs）的空间分布。总共从采矿城镇、采矿活动范围之外的对照城镇以及偏远采样点采集了 89 个 Xanthoria parietina 本地地衣样本。对样本进行酸消解后，分析了 29 种元素的浓度。与对照城镇相比，采矿城镇的 Co、Ni、Cu、Zn、As、Rb、Mo、Cd、Sn、Sb、Cs、Ba、W、Tl、Pb、S 和 Fe 浓度明显更高。与矿石矿物相关的 PTEs，包括 Cu、Zn、As、Ba 和 Pb，在靠近采矿活动的城镇地区，特别是在紧邻矿物加工厂和尾矿池的 La Dehesa 小型定居点，浓度极高。偏远采样点证实了所有 PTEs 浓度的降低，这些采样点与对照区的浓度相似。研究结果表明，相邻城区地衣体内 PTEs 的生物积累增加，表明采矿活动加剧了周边城区的空气质量受到大规模多金属硫化物矿床的局部影响。因此，建议监测城区空气质量。
