Health and environmental risk due to acid mine drainage generating tailings in Zimapán, Mexico
In the mining district of Zimapán, located in the State of Hidalgo, Mexico, high concentrations of potentially toxic elements such as arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd), and Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) have been detected in tailing’s dams. This AMD, along with the population growth in the region...
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| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Communications |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adb2e4 |
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| author | Ana P Chango-Cañola María del Refugio González-Sandoval María T Alarcón-Herrera Luis Antonio García-Villanueva Georgina Fernández-Villagómez |
| author_facet | Ana P Chango-Cañola María del Refugio González-Sandoval María T Alarcón-Herrera Luis Antonio García-Villanueva Georgina Fernández-Villagómez |
| author_sort | Ana P Chango-Cañola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the mining district of Zimapán, located in the State of Hidalgo, Mexico, high concentrations of potentially toxic elements such as arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd), and Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) have been detected in tailing’s dams. This AMD, along with the population growth in the region, has reduced the distance between mining waste sites and urban areas, increasing the risk of exposure to these contaminants for living organisms. The objective of this study was to evaluate AMD generation and the risk to human health and the ecosystem due to potential exposure to elements present in the AMD, using the Spatial Analysis and Decision Assistance (SADA) software in three mining areas of Zimapán. Soil sample analyses revealed that the total concentrations of Pb, Cd, and As exceeded the maximum limits allowed by Mexican standard NOM-141-SEMARNAT-2003 for residential and agricultural land use. Additionally, the SADA model results demonstrated a potential risk to human health and mammals and birds due to their interaction with concentrations of 12,198 mg kg ^−1 of As and 4,618 mg kg ^−1 of Pb, respectively. The SADA model played a crucial role in enabling the quantification of the potential risk to the exposed population, thereby becoming an essential tool for the environmental management of this and other mining districts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dd22c66842c043389d2ef69a484a71a4 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2515-7620 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-dd22c66842c043389d2ef69a484a71a42025-08-20T02:43:55ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Communications2515-76202025-01-017202501510.1088/2515-7620/adb2e4Health and environmental risk due to acid mine drainage generating tailings in Zimapán, MexicoAna P Chango-Cañola0https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7280-916XMaría del Refugio González-Sandoval1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8174-1393María T Alarcón-Herrera2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1168-8544Luis Antonio García-Villanueva3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3080-1282Georgina Fernández-Villagómez4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9748-4157Facultad de Ingeniería (FI), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Ciudad de México, 04510, MexicoÁrea Académicade Ingeniería y Arquitectura, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo , 42184, MexicoDepto. Ingeniería Sustentable, Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados (CIMAV-Durango) , Durango, 34147, MexicoFacultad de Ingeniería (FI), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Ciudad de México, 04510, MexicoFacultad de Ingeniería (FI), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Ciudad de México, 04510, MexicoIn the mining district of Zimapán, located in the State of Hidalgo, Mexico, high concentrations of potentially toxic elements such as arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd), and Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) have been detected in tailing’s dams. This AMD, along with the population growth in the region, has reduced the distance between mining waste sites and urban areas, increasing the risk of exposure to these contaminants for living organisms. The objective of this study was to evaluate AMD generation and the risk to human health and the ecosystem due to potential exposure to elements present in the AMD, using the Spatial Analysis and Decision Assistance (SADA) software in three mining areas of Zimapán. Soil sample analyses revealed that the total concentrations of Pb, Cd, and As exceeded the maximum limits allowed by Mexican standard NOM-141-SEMARNAT-2003 for residential and agricultural land use. Additionally, the SADA model results demonstrated a potential risk to human health and mammals and birds due to their interaction with concentrations of 12,198 mg kg ^−1 of As and 4,618 mg kg ^−1 of Pb, respectively. The SADA model played a crucial role in enabling the quantification of the potential risk to the exposed population, thereby becoming an essential tool for the environmental management of this and other mining districts.https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adb2e4arsenicleadcadmiumacid mine drainagehealth riskenvironmental risk |
| spellingShingle | Ana P Chango-Cañola María del Refugio González-Sandoval María T Alarcón-Herrera Luis Antonio García-Villanueva Georgina Fernández-Villagómez Health and environmental risk due to acid mine drainage generating tailings in Zimapán, Mexico Environmental Research Communications arsenic lead cadmium acid mine drainage health risk environmental risk |
| title | Health and environmental risk due to acid mine drainage generating tailings in Zimapán, Mexico |
| title_full | Health and environmental risk due to acid mine drainage generating tailings in Zimapán, Mexico |
| title_fullStr | Health and environmental risk due to acid mine drainage generating tailings in Zimapán, Mexico |
| title_full_unstemmed | Health and environmental risk due to acid mine drainage generating tailings in Zimapán, Mexico |
| title_short | Health and environmental risk due to acid mine drainage generating tailings in Zimapán, Mexico |
| title_sort | health and environmental risk due to acid mine drainage generating tailings in zimapan mexico |
| topic | arsenic lead cadmium acid mine drainage health risk environmental risk |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adb2e4 |
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