Exposure to Fine Particles by Mine Tailing and Lung Function Effects in a Panel of Schoolchildren, Chañaral, Chile

Abstract

There is much literature on the effects of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) on respiratory and cardiovascular health. However, few studies have evaluated the impact of PM 2.5 on a population living in the vicinity of a massive deposit of mine tailings. A longitudinal panel study was performed to evaluate the association between exposure to PM 2.5 and acute effects on lung function in schoolchildren from November 2012 to May 2013. Ambient levels of PM 2.5 and its metal composition were measured. Lung function was evaluated using spirometric testing. Associations were quantified using GEE multilevel analysis controlling for confounders by using different lag time periods. The chemical characterization of PM 2.5 had high levels of S > Na > Cl > Ca > Si > Fe > Al > Mg > K > Cu > Ti > and Zn, which would be associated with metals present in tailings. We found a negative association between the temporal variation of PM 2.5 and changes in lung function specifically on forced vital capacity. Our results suggest that schoolchildren exposed to fine particulate matter from tailings deposited in the bay of Chañaral have their forced vital capacity decreased, which would affect their present and future lung development, increasing the risk of developing chronic respiratory diseases.

Health Risk Due to Heavy Metal(loid)s Exposure Through Fine Particulate Matter and Sedimented Dust in People Living Next to a Beach Contaminated by Mine Tailings

“…Sampling of PM 2.5 and SD A total of 60 PM 2.5 samples and 32 SD samples were collected in six schools (three elementary and three basic schools) and 10 houses, during winter (July 1-8, 2012) and summer (December 12-18, 2013), respectively. The houses and schools studied correspond to the residence and school establishments of the children who participated in the study by Yohannessen et al (2015) (Fig. 1b).…”

“…One of the strengths of this study is that we integrated the information of two highly contaminated environmental matrices in the city of Chañaral, particles and sedimented dust, which are two very relevant source of exposure to population living in the study area (Yohannessen et al 2015). Metals and metalloids were determined in school and residential microenvironments (indoor and outdoor) during two times of the year (winter and summer), and the information was integrated to give a better idea of the average exposure throughout the year with different meteorological conditions (Martínez et al 2016, Mesías et al 2018).…”

“…The city of Chañaral is located adjacent to the bay (Fig. 1); its population is constantly exposed to dust and particulate material that rises by wind action, especially in the spring and summer months (Yohannessen et al 2015). According to Astudillo (2008), "seasonal winds, mainly during spring and early summer, raise impressive amounts of particulate matter from the beach, creating an irrespirable environment for people").…”

A Positive Relationship between Exposure to Heavy Metals and Development of Chronic Diseases: A Case Study from Chile

“…Furthermore, possible exposure to heavy metals by food consumption also exists. The evidence indicates that exposure to metals has an impact on respiratory health [4] and has been linked to lung cancer [5], neurodevelopmental disorders [6], and cardiovascular disorders [5,7], among other pathologies. The effects depend on the elements to which the communities are exposed to and the characteristics of the exposure [7].…”

Ostreococcus tauri Luminescent Reporter Lines as Biosensors for Detecting Pollution From Copper-Mine Tailing Effluents in Coastal Environments

“…While Cu is an essential trace metal for marine organisms, toxicity occurs at high levels, with consequent deleterious effects on ecosystems and for public health (Castilla, 1996;Liu et al, 2011;Zhuang et al, 2013;Vásquez et al, 2015). Over the past century, Cu concentrations have increased in several coastal zones worldwide, with notable cases of Cu pollution from mine tailings (Paytan et al, 2009).…”