31/07/2026
Decades after mining operations cease, potentially toxic elements remain in soil, which may pose health risks to nearby communities.
For todayโs , weโre featuring a study co-authored by UPLB researchers that assessed the distribution of toxic metals in Mogpog, Marinduque, a municipality with a history of mining, and evaluated their human health impacts.
In the study titled "๐๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ช๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ๐น๐ช๐ค ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด (๐๐๐๐ด) ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ฌ ๐ข๐ด๐ด๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ด๐ฐ๐ช๐ญ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ช๐ด๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด", the authors evaluated exposure to legacy soil contamination through incidental ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation.
The study revealed that concentrations of cadmium, nickel, and lead exceeded acceptable thresholds by up to 100 times, as well as arsenic, chromium, and copper exceeding international safety limits. The highest copper levels was also recorded near an abandoned mine. Using probabilistic risk assessment, the researchers found that the PTEs pose substantial cancer and non-cancer health risks to both adults and children, with chromium having the most significant overall impact on health risks.
The article highlights the lasting impact of mining activities and the urgent need for sustainable soil remediation efforts, continuous environmental monitoring, and health interventions.
๐Authors: Ronnel Nolos (UPLB Graduate School & Marinduque State University); Janice SevillaโNastor (UPLB School of Environmental Science and Management); and Jessica VillanuevaโPeyraube (UPLB School of Environmental Science and Management)
โจPublished in Environmental Geochemistry and Health
โจRead more: https://agora.uplb.edu.ph/post-mining-soil-contamination-poses-health-risks-in-an-island-province-in-the-philippines/
