Remediation Technologies for Arsenic Contamination Thesis

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McAndrew's 2000 article notes that the ministry took control of the Deloro Mine site in 1979, when the owners reported they were not able to afford the clean-up operations

Arsenic Contamination and Poisoning:

Arsenic is a by-product of the mining industry. It is a known cancer-causing agent, and can be ingested through food that has been grown in contaminated soil, and can also be absorbed through the skin. If small amounts are absorbed over a period of time, it can result in chronic arsenic poisoning. This poisoning can produce: nausea, headaches, changes in skin colorization, scaling of the skin, anorexia, and white lines across the fingernails. If large amounts of arsenic are consumed, this can lead to vomiting and renal failure, and even death, as noted by McAndrew, in 1999.

Franzblau and Lilis go beyond McAndrews' 1999 description of arsenic poisoning. They show chronic arsenic poisoning as resulting in nonmalignant cutaneous changes, as McAndrews notes, including hyperpigmentation and hyperkeratoses, as well as renal toxicity; however, it also has been known to cause skin cancers, 'Blackfoot disease' - a disease of arsenic-induced peripheral vascular insufficiency that leads to gangrene, hepatic toxicity, peripheral neuropathy, and hermatopoietic toxicity.

Franzblau and Lilith state that much of the classic description of arsenic poisoning comes from suicidal or homicidal ingestion. In addition to McAndrews' 1999 description of symptoms, ingestion can also lead to abdominal cramps, and diarrhea that may be bloody. The researchers further specify that ingestion of water containing less than 1,000 ?g/l of arsenic, over several years, can lead to poisoning.

Myoung-Jin and Yejin concur with McAndrew's 1999 findings that much arsenic contamination comes from mine tailings.

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These researchers used the Jingok mine in Bongwha, Korea for their study regarding the vertical distribution of arsenic and heavy metals, through leeching into the ground and ground water. Nearby paddy fields were found to have an extremely high concentration of arsenic, and as testing was conducted at increased distances from the mine site, the levels fell dramatically.

These findings are similar to those found in the Deloro mine site, with arsenic contamination occurring beyond the mine site itself, as far away as Moira Lake.

McAndrew's 1999 findings of the method of contamination of Deloro specifically through the arsenic-containing dust is reiterated by the findings of Franzblau and Lilis.

These researchers note that a route of environmental arsenic exposure, alternatively than ingestion in food or water, is through the inhalation of dust emitted from smelters.

This type of exposure has been linked to increased incidences of lung cancer, where lung cancer was not associated with ingestion of arsenic-tainted water.

Conclusion:

In the end, it becomes clear that the ministry were well aware of the problems at Deloro Mine long ago. More than 50 years earlier there were plans of remediation; however, these were not completed. Testing in the late 1980s showed that the arsenic contamination went far beyond the mine site itself, and was poisoning the residents of Deloro, as well as impacting Moira Lake. Understanding that arsenic contamination can occur through both leeched arsenic and dust coming from smelters and tailing piles, and knowing the dangers of arsenic poisoning, it is surprising that the government didn't take action sooner......

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