Mining in focus
Geology and health
Geological setting can have significant health effects on human, animal and plant
life, writes Nicolaas C. Steenkamp.
M
symptoms of lead poisoning. The use of various
minerals to treat maladies by alchemists during
the Middle Ages is also recorded in treating
the plague, smallpox and fever. The addition
of minerals to soils for agricultural purposes
and to increase crop yields and size has been in
practice for more than 6000 years.
The importance of trace elements
Humans and livestock need a variety of trace
elements for physical and mental development.
The most important trace elements are calcium,
magnesium, iron, zinc, selenium and iodine.
Deficiency of some trace elements leads to
developmental problems, such as skeletal
deformation or under-development, a wide range
of immune diseases and even cognitive issues.
Excessive amounts of these same trace
elements may in turn lead to some medical
conditions. For instance, excessive fluorine
can lead to fluorosis and has possible links to
kidney stones. Toxic trace elements such as
chrome, titanium, nickel and cobalt are known
carcinogens, responsible for cancers and several
other illnesses, mental disorders and even
death. Mercury used by hatters during the
classical period resulted in mercury poisoning
and the manifestation of mental disorders,
which led to the term “mad as a hatter”.
The ingestion of toxic trace elements
through food or treatment of food is another
source. A well-known example is from the
Guizhou Province in China where low-grade
coal is used in drying of chilli peppers and
corn. Arsenic is released in the smoke and
absorbed by the chilli peppers and corn. The
coal has been found to contain up to 35 000
ppm arsenic. The typical symptoms of arsenic
poisoning include hyperpigmentation (flushed
appearance, freckles), hyperkeratosis (scaly
lesions on the skin, generally concentrated on
the hands and feet), Bowen's disease (dark,
horny, pre-cancerous lesions of the skin), and
squamous cell carcinoma.
edical Geology is the study of
the effect the geological setting
potentially has on human,
animal and plant life. The most
common interaction studied is broadly related
to elements absorbed by plants or dissolved in
potable water, and their positive or negative
interaction.
The second relates to natural events where
there is usually a short but intense effect of
the environment on the life in the immediate
area. The main areas of interest relate to the
identification and characterisation of natural
and anthropogenic sources of harmful material
into the environment. The aim is to predict
the movement and alteration of geochemical
or other agents over time and space, and find
ways to minimise the effect or exposure.
The oldest records recognising the
environmental effects on humans date to
around 2400 BCE by Hippocrates, and in
300 BCE Aristotle established the source and
Mining and minerals have a huge effect on sectors like agriculture.
[28] MINING MIRROR JULY 2019
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