Element Rich Area Associated with Human Health Disorders: A Geomedical Science Approach to Potentially Toxic Elements Contamination

Abstract

(1) Background: Geomedical science focuses on the relationship between environmental impact and human health. The abundance of elements in a geographic area is reflected accumulation of these elements in humans. This study aims to describe the relationship between concentrations of geologic elements and accumulations in the human body as well as element-related symptoms. (2) Methods: Geogenic sampling was conducted in an Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) area and around residential areas in Indonesia, and samples were analyzed using particle-induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). Head hair was sampled, and health assessments were performed to determine heavy metal exposure, especially to copper and mercury. (3) Results: Results show that potentially toxic elements’ accumulation in the human body follows the abundance of these elements in the geographic area, which then affect health and manifest with specific signs and symptoms. East Tulabolo is an area rich in copper (hazard quotient (HQ) in dust = 152.8), and most of the population shows the sign of Kayser–Fleischer rings. Likewise, the Dunggilata area has the highest concentration of mercury, especially in the dust (HQ = 11.1), related to ASGM activity in residential areas. (4) Conclusions: This study concludes that the geogenic concentration of elements parallels the accumulation of human tissue and manifests with element-related signs and symptoms.

Rural Knowledge Transformation in Terms of Mercury Used in Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM)—A Case Study in Gorontalo, Indonesia

“…Mercury serves to capture the gold, resulting in amalgam (an alloy of gold and mercury). To obtain pure gold, a combustion process is required to vaporize the mercury, followed by a refining process of further heating to remove the mercury and other impurities [8,[36][37][38].…”

Health and environmental risk assessment of mercury in outdoor and indoor dust in artisanal and small-scale gold mining area in Amansie-west district in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

“…( Coker et al, 2022). In Dunggilata (Indonesia), 63-577 mg/kg of Hg in dust was recorded (Pateda et al, 2021).…”

The Removal of Pb2+ from Aqueous Solution by Using Navel Orange Peel Biochar Supported Graphene Oxide: Characteristics, Response Surface Methodology, and Mechanism

“…Excessive amounts of heavy metals released by the geochemical cycle [1,2] and human production activities (domestic sewage [3], industrial production [4], mining [5,6]) pose a major threat to the ecological environment system and may have a negative impact on the health of humans, plants, and microorganisms [7,8]. At present, there is no effective degradation pathway for heavy metals in the water environment, and the most common method is centralized recovery treatment after adsorption and desorption [9][10][11][12].…”