Influence of Mining Activities on Arsenic Concentration in Rice in Asia: A Review

Abstract

Crop and livestock farming on contaminated soil has been found to induce the accumulation of trace elements in edible parts of plants, with subsequent risk to human and animal health. Since rice crop is a major source of energy in worldwide diets and is consumed by more than 3 billion people, the soil–rice pathway is regarded as a prominent route of human exposure to potentially toxic elements. This study provides an overview of arsenic contamination in paddy rice from mining-impacted areas in several Asian countries that are primary rice consumers. From this review, it may be concluded that mining activities, along with the associated residual waste, significantly contribute to arsenic contamination of this food crop as rice samples from these regions were highly contaminated, with the highest total arsenic concentrations recorded being 3–4 times higher than the maximum levels proposed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. While the contamination in China, Korea, Indonesia, and Thailand appeared to be slightly affected by mining activities, the elevated levels of arsenic in rice from mining areas in India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam could be derived from arsenic-contaminated groundwater.

A Habitable Earth and Carbon Neutrality: Mission and Challenges Facing Resources and the Environment in China—An Overview

“…Some studies have aimed to determine the positive effect of the resources in mines, to identify advantages and avoid disadvantages, and comprehensively develop and use the resources, which is an important point supporting the extension of the industrial chain of mineral development. The studies on the negative effects of the mine environment have aimed to find methods of mine environment restoration and treatment to reduce the negative effects of mining activities on the environment [103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113][114].…”

The Recent Progress China Has Made in Green Mine Construction, Part I: Mining Groundwater Pollution and Sustainable Mining

“…Sadly, residents in Loess Plateau have historically used groundwater to irrigate farmland, which now seriously affects the growth of crops and the health of residents. Recently, Anh T P Hoang, Prinpreecha, N. and Kim, K. [56] found that elevated arsenic levels in rice from mining areas in India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam may have come from arsenic-contaminated groundwater, and they suggested that arsenic contamination in groundwater was most likely due to mining activities. Their study showed that mining activities and associated residual wastes significantly influence arsenic contamination of food crops, as rice samples from these areas were highly contaminated and the highest total arsenic concentrations recorded were 3-4 times higher than the maximum levels proposed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.…”

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