Mining in focus
Arsenic poisoning via drinking water has also
been reported and studied in the Jharkhand
state of India. Some crops are prone to
absorbing heavy metals form the soil they are
cultivated in. The high levels of mercury in
some fish species, such as Pacific tuna, have
been documented and affect communities that
have a high raw fish diet.
Dangers of mining
Medical problems related to mining activities
are well known in South Africa and relate
mainly to historic mining practices prior to the
introduction of mine health and safety codes.
Lung diseases, such as silicosis, asbestosis
and black lung are prevalent among older
generations of miners.
Silicosis is indicated to be the result of
inhaling fine silicate particles, mostly in gold
mines over a prolonged period. Black lung,
in turn, is due to the prolonged exposure
and inhalation of fine coal dust. Asbestosis
can be contracted by miners, but also by
communities that live in the vicinity of
abandoned asbestos dumps.
Huge strides have been made in remediation
and rehabilitation of these dumps and the
mining of asbestos has been completely
halted in most parts of the world. Radon has
also been linked to some lung cancers, but
studies have not been able to find an empirical
connection. Uranium in natural occurrence has
very little effect and forms part of the natural
background radiation. However, once mined
and concentrated in tailings, the fine dust
increases the concentration inhaled and may
affect kidney, brain, liver and heart systems.
Artisanal miners making use of mercury
amalgamation are also exposed to mercury
fumes. Fine residue dumps and tailings dumps
with high sulphide content have been linked
to Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) that affects
ground and surface water.
Millions have been spent in treatment
and remedial actions in areas that have been
affected by AMD. The potential use of fracking
in the Karoo has also led to concerns about its
effect on groundwater quality and its potential
effect on humans and livestock. In most cases
a baseline study of ailments that affect a
community is performed. This would, in theory,
give an indication of any increases in certain
diseases or conditions in a particular area that
could be linked to mining or related activities.
The use and quality of food grade salt is the
best-known example of how government and
health authorities have recognised the effects
of what is essentially medical geology. It has
long been recognised that communities that
live far from the sea and have a general low
intake of fish, are more likely to suffer from
thyroid problems, such as the development of
goitres. This led to the mandatory enrichment
of table salt with iodine to curb the problem.
On the other hand, the more ready
availability of table salt has led to an increase
in hypertension, resulting in more programmes
to limit the daily intake of salt in the
developed and developing worlds. Food grade
salt is also highly regulated in terms of quality
and subject to SANS standards in South
Africa, to mention one example.
Another example is the addition of
fluorine to drinking water. Fluorine is
added to drinking water to minimise
the development of dental caries and starve off
osteoporosis.
Traditional beliefs
There is also a medical condition called
geophagy, defined as the voluntary
consumption of earth materials, mostly clays or
soils as a result of some nutritional deficiency.
The most common is the consumption of
termite mounds as part of some African meals.
There is, however, some proven medical value,
such as small amounts of kaolinite clay for
stomach ailments, which is even included in
commercial anti-diarrheal oral treatments.
There are also a number of superstitions
surrounding the use of fossils and crystals.
There have been reports of fossils being ground
up and used by traditional healers for a variety
of ailments. Alternative health practitioners
have also in the last couple of decades used
crystals as part of their treatment regimen.
Living in the vicinity of a volcano has
both direct and indirect impacts. The obvious
impact is during the active period, when
there is exposure to toxic gases, most notably
suffocation due to carbon dioxide and ash.
The volcanic soils are rich and very attractive
from an agricultural perspective, but long-
term exposure to volcanic soils may lead to
conditions such as podoconiosis, a disease
that is linked to the absorption of certain
alkaline elements by microphages in the
lower limb, causing endothelial swelling that
is prevalent in the volcanic
areas of Africa where
the population walk
mostly barefoot.
Water sources are affected by mining.
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JULY 2019 MINING MIRROR [29]