| Document ID (ISN) | 106245 |
| CIS number |
07-169 |
| ISSN - Serial title |
1077-3525 - International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health |
| Year |
2006 |
| Convention or series no. |
|
| Author(s) |
Hurtado J., Gonzales G.F., Steenland K. |
| Title |
Mercury exposures in informal gold miners and relatives in southern Peru |
| Bibliographic information |
Oct.-Dec. 2006, Vol.12, No.4, p.340-345. Illus. 25 ref. |
| Internet access |
http://www.ijoeh.com/pfds/IJOEH_1204_Hurtado.pdf [in English]
|
| Abstract |
Subjects working in or living near informal gold mining and processing in southern Peru were studied to determine mercury exposures from two tasks: amalgamation and amalgam smelting. The authors collected 17 airborne and 41 urinary mercury levels. The mean urinary levels were 728 (range: 321-1,662) and 113 (45-197)µg/L for working in smelters and living near smelters, respectively. A third group working in amalgamation had a mean 18µg/L (range 8-37). People living in the mining town but with no mining activities had 8µg/L (5-10), while a control group outside the town had 4µg/L (2-6). Mean airborne mercury exposure was 2,423µg/m3 (range 530-4,430) during smelting, 30.5µg/m3 (12-55) during amalgamation, and 12µg/m3 (3-23) in the mining town. Smelters are highly contaminated with mercury, as are the people living around smelters. |
| Descriptors (primary) |
informal sector; mercury; gold mining; environmental pollution; exposure evaluation |
| Descriptors (secondary) |
case-control study; determination in urine; determination in air; neighbourhood populations |
| Document type |
D - Periodical articles |
| Country / State or Province | Peru; USA |
| Subject(s) |
Mines and quarries
|
| Broad subject area(s) |
Chemical safety
|
| Browse category(ies) |
Inorganic substances
Mercury and compounds
Environmental pollution
Exposure evaluation
Mining and quarrying
|
