Mining Mirror July 2019 | Page 30

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 www.miningmirror.co.za