RT Journal Article
T1 Source apportionment of potentially toxic PM10 near a vast metallic ore mine and health risk assessment for residents exposed
A1 Boente López, Carlos
A1 Zafra Pérez, Adrián
A1 Fernández Caliani, Juan Carlos
A1 Sánchez de la Campa Verdona, Ana María
A1 Sánchez-Rodas Navarro, Daniel Alejandro
A1 Rosa Díaz, Jesús de la
AB Mining is an economic activity that traditionally releases large amounts of particulate matter into the atmosphere because of the procedures required to process the mineral. In particular, polymetallic ores are environmentally harmful as they can enrich potentially toxic elements, which may cause adverse effects to humans and ecosystems due to their toxicity. The aim was to assess the impact on health of this type of mining on nearby populations. Accordingly, it was conducted an extensive PM10 sampling campaign during the entirety of 2021 through a total of 248 filters placed in three villages close to the Rio Tinto district (Southwest Spain), which is one of the largest Cu mines in the world. A total of 58 major and trace elements were analysed, along with organic carbon/elemental carbon, cations, and anions. The mean PM10 concentrations were high during spring (47 μgPM10⋅m−3) and summer (56 μgPM10⋅m−3) in the population closest to the mine, wherein values surpassed the annual and daily limit values, but were lower in the other two villages. Moreover, high enrichment of As (annual maximum mean of 6.2 ng⋅m−3), Cu (70 ng⋅m−3), Pb (19 ng⋅m−3), and Zn (50 ng⋅m−3) was observed in all locations. A positive matrix factorization (PMF) was primarily used to assess the origins of this particulate matter, revealing that the impact of the mine reduced considerably over a long distance, with contributions ranging from 36% at the mine's outskirts to 8% further away from it, which coincides with the features of the mine during the abandonment phase (2001–2015). Despite this, the risk assessment revealed that the carcinogens were within the permissible exposure limits even in the closest village, indicating a minor concern for the inhabitants from a toxicological perspective.
PB Elsevier
SN 1352-2310
YR 2023
FD 2023-03-13
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/22487
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/22487
LA eng
NO Boente, C., Zafra-Pérez, A., Fernández-Caliani, J. C., Sánchez de la Campa, A., Sánchez-Rodas, D., & de la Rosa, J. D. (2023). Source apportionment of potentially toxic PM10 near a vast metallic ore mine and health risk assessment for residents exposed. In Atmospheric Environment (Vol. 301, p. 119696). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2023.119696
NO Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Huelva / CBUA.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 1 jun 2026