Abstract
Soil mercury concentrations at a typical small-scale mine site in the Bolivian Andes were elevated (28–737 mg/kg or ppm) in localized areas where mercury amalgams were either formed or vaporized to release gold, but was not detectable beyond approximately 10 m from its sources. Arsenic was measurable, exceeding known background levels throughout the mine site (77–137,022 ppm), and was also measurable through the local village of Ingenio (36–1803 ppm). Although arsenic levels were high at all surveyed locations, its spatial pattern followed mercury, being highest where mercury was high.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 259-264 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology |
Volume | 100 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 1 2018 |
Keywords
- Arsenic
- Artisanal and small-scale gold mining
- Mercury
- Soil metal contamination
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Toxicology
- Pollution
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis