Exposure to coal mining can lead to imbalanced levels of inorganic elements and DNA damage in individuals living near open-pit mining sites

León-Mejía, Grethel; Vargas, José Eduardo; Quintana-Sosa, Milton; Rueda, Robinson Alvarez; Pérez, Jose Pérez; Miranda-Guevara, Alvaro; Moreno, Ornella Fiorillo; Trindade, Cristiano; Acosta-Hoyos, Antonio; Dias, Jhonny; Silva, Juliana da; Henriques, João Antônio Pêgas

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2023.115773

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The quantitative analysis of inorganic elements in urine, conducted using the PIXE method, revealed elevated concentrations of Na, P, S, Cl, K, Fe, Zn, and Br in the exposed group compared to the control group. Previous studies by León-Mejía et al, ( 2023a , 2023b ) reported significant concentrations of S and Fe in the blood of the exposed population. These elements, present in the inhaled particles, might be absorbed by various tissues and subsequently eliminated through urine (Quintana-Sosa et al, 2021 ), suggesting a systemic effect on these individuals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…In another study, particulate matter in the air was characterized (León-Mejía et al, 2023b ) as an amorphous/irregular solid, with prevailing sizes smaller than 10 µm (PM < 2.5), forming agglomerates that can deposit in different regions of the lung (Darquenne, 2020 ). For instance, particles smaller than 10 µm are deposited in the alveolar region, where they can remain longer in the lung and cause more inflammatory effects than coarse particles (Schraufnagel, 2020 ; Shekarian et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The samples examined in this study exhibited the presence of inorganic agents associated with oxidative damage. Exposure to coal mining residues can disrupt the balance of inorganic elements, potentially contributing to the observed increase in oxidative damage (León-Mejía et al, 2023b ; Souza et al, 2021 ). The quantitative analysis of inorganic elements in urine, conducted using the PIXE method, revealed elevated concentrations of Na, P, S, Cl, K, Fe, Zn, and Br in the exposed group compared to the control group.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sample size comprised 150 individuals (89 women, 61 men) from the mining region who were exposed to coal mining particles, and 120 control individuals (70 women, 50 men) from Barranquilla (Colombia). The exposed individuals reside 2 km away from the nearest coal mine, and additional information can be found in León-Mejía et al, ( 2023a , 2023b ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The dangerous link between coal dust exposure and DNA damage: unraveling the role of some of the chemical agents and oxidative stress

Miranda-Guevara,

Muñoz-Acevedo,

Fiorillo-Moreno

et al. 2023

Environ Geochem Health

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Exposure to coal mining dust poses a substantial health hazard to individuals due to the complex mixture of components released during the extraction process. This study aimed to assess the oxidative potential of residual coal mining dust on human lymphocyte DNA and telomeres and to perform a chemical characterization of coal dust and urine samples. The study included 150 individuals exposed to coal dust for over ten years, along with 120 control individuals. The results revealed significantly higher levels of DNA damage in the exposed group, as indicated by the standard comet assay, and oxidative damage, as determined by the FPG-modified comet assay. Moreover, the exposed individuals exhibited significantly shorter telomeres compared to the control group, and a significant correlation was found between telomere length and oxidative DNA damage. Using the PIXE method on urine samples, significantly higher concentrations of sodium (Na), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), chlorine (Cl), potassium (K), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and bromine (Br) were observed in the exposed group compared to the control group. Furthermore, men showed shorter telomeres, greater DNA damage, and higher concentrations of nickel (Ni), calcium (Ca), and chromium (Cr) compared to exposed women. Additionally, the study characterized the particles released into the environment through GC–MS analysis, identifying several compounds, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as fluoranthene, naphthalene, anthracene, 7H-benzo[c]fluorene, phenanthrene, pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, and some alkyl derivatives. These findings underscore the significant health risks associated with exposure to coal mining dust, emphasizing the importance of further research and the implementation of regulatory measures to safeguard the health of individuals in affected populations. Graphic abstract

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The dangerous link between coal dust exposure and DNA damage: unraveling the role of some of the chemical agents and oxidative stress

Miranda-Guevara,

Muñoz-Acevedo,

Fiorillo-Moreno

et al. 2023

Environ Geochem Health

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“…Three studies addressed involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke, namely indoor tobacco smoke [ 122 ], second-hand cigarette smoking in children [ 155 ], and environmental tobacco smoking [ 161 ]. Two studies assessed exposure to ozone [ 147 , 153 ], one investigated the effects of formaldehyde under experimental conditions [ 164 ], and others looked at hair dye fumes [ 124 ] and coal mining residues [ 141 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Comet Assay as a Tool in Human Biomonitoring Studies of Environmental and Occupational Exposure to Chemicals—A Systematic Scoping Review

Ladeira,

Møller,

Giovannelli

et al. 2024

Toxics

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Biomonitoring of human populations exposed to chemical substances that can act as potential mutagens or carcinogens, may enable the detection of damage and early disease prevention. In recent years, the comet assay has become an important tool for assessing DNA damage, both in environmental and occupational exposure contexts. To evidence the role of the comet assay in human biomonitoring, we have analysed original research studies of environmental or occupational exposure that used the comet assay in their assessments, following the PRISMA-ScR method (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews). Groups of chemicals were designated according to a broad classification, and the results obtained from over 300 original studies (n = 123 on air pollutants, n = 14 on anaesthetics, n = 18 on antineoplastic drugs, n = 57 on heavy metals, n = 59 on pesticides, and n = 49 on solvents) showed overall higher values of DNA strand breaks in the exposed subjects in comparison with the unexposed. In summary, our systematic scoping review strengthens the relevance of the use of the comet assay in assessing DNA damage in human biomonitoring studies.

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Ecological environment quality assessment of coal mining cities based on GEE platform: A case study of Shuozhou, China

Duo,

Wang,

Zhong

et al. 2024

Int J Coal Sci Technol

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Shuozhou is a typical coal mining city, and the Pingshuo Antaibao open-pit coal mine in its area is one of the largest open-pit coal mines in China. The mining of coal resources is an important part of ensuring national energy security, and at the same time, it inevitably has a certain impact on the ecology, such as coal dust generated by open-pit mining will affect air quality, soil, water and vegetation. It is of great significance to explore the temporal and spatial variation of ecological environment quality in coal mining cities for ecological protection and sustainable social and economic development. Based on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, this paper combines the index-based coal dust index (ICDI) and Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) models to construct an improved RSEI (IRSEI) that can reflect coal mining cities. This paper explores the spatial–temporal evolution characteristics and spatial correlation of ecological environment quality in Shuozhou from 2000 to 2020. The results showed that the average value of IRSEI in Shuozhou was between 0.262 and 0.418, and the overall change showed an upward trend. The growth areas of ecological environment quality are mainly located in the eastern and southwestern areas with good vegetation growth, and these regions have vigorously implemented the Northern Shelter Forest Project, afforestation and greening projects, implemented the forest resource management and protection responsibility system, promoted the construction of ecological civilization, and significantly improved the ecological environment. While the declining areas are mainly located in the central and southern regions where mining activities and human activities are more intensive. The IRSEI in the study area showed a significant spatial positive correlation, and the agglomeration types of the spatial pattern were mainly high-high and low-low agglomeration types, with the high-high agglomeration types mainly distributed in the eastern and southwestern regions, and the low-low agglomeration types distributed in the northern and south-central regions of the study area. The trend of low and low agglomeration has decreased, which further proves that the ecological restoration measures taken by the government, such as returning farmland to forests, integrating protection and restoration of mountains, waters, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and sands, controlling soil erosion, and stage wise reclamation of coal mining subsidence areas, have improved the ecological environment quality of Shuozhou. This study provides a reference for understanding the spatiotemporal changes of the ecological environment of coal mining cities, and is conducive to formulating appropriate ecological protection strategies.

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Exposure to coal mining can lead to imbalanced levels of inorganic elements and DNA damage in individuals living near open-pit mining sites

Cited by 5 publications

References 45 publications

The dangerous link between coal dust exposure and DNA damage: unraveling the role of some of the chemical agents and oxidative stress

The dangerous link between coal dust exposure and DNA damage: unraveling the role of some of the chemical agents and oxidative stress

The Comet Assay as a Tool in Human Biomonitoring Studies of Environmental and Occupational Exposure to Chemicals—A Systematic Scoping Review

Ecological environment quality assessment of coal mining cities based on GEE platform: A case study of Shuozhou, China

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