Assessment of manmade air pollution due to dusting at mine tailings storage facilities

The article presents studies on the environmental impact of dust-producing mine tailings dumps within the influence zone of Dalnegorsk and Krasnorechensk ore clusters, Primorsky Krai, Russia. The studies were aimed to assess air pollution from dusting of mine tailings dumps with a view to improving their ecological safety. The study objectives included: (1) review and generalization of source literature on anmade pollution of eco-sphere due to dusting of tailings storages; (2) ecological situation assessment within the influence zones of Dalnegorsk and Krasnorechensk mine tailings storage facilities; (3) health risk assessment in the influence zones of the specified dumps. The structure diagram of the environmental impact of the tailings dumps is proposed. It is advisable to model air effect in the pollution gain during dusting of mine tailings dumps, which greatly depends on wind velocity. Modeling of dust dispersion from inorganic 70–20% SiO2, hazard class 1–3 heavy metals and arsenic inside the influence zones of  Dalnegorsk and Krasnorechensk tailings storage facilities was performed using unified air pollution analysis program Ekolog-4.6 for two scenarios: at constant wind velocity in 95% of cases (U*) and at yearly mean wind velocity at certain points of the influence zone of the tailings dumps, including the residential area. Inside the envelopes of intense air pollution, the sanitary standards are exceeded in term of inorganic dust containing 70–20% SiO2 and lead and its compounds within the influence zone of Krasnorechensk tailings storage facilities and in terms of dust of manganese and its compounds within the influence zone of Dalnegorsk tailings storage facilities. Within the zones of the maximum ground level concentrations in the residential area, the potential risk of non-specific toxic effects in chronic intoxication of people is calculated for the period of heavy impact due to the tailings dumps. The risk is categorized as high in terms of manganese and inorganic dust containing 70–20% SiO2 in Dalnegorsk ore cluster and in terms of inorganic dust in Krasnorechensk ore cluster. There is a positive upward tendency in non-specific pathology even in case of single events of specific pathology.

Mayorova L. P., CherentsovaA. A., Krupskaya L. T., Golubev D. A., Kolobanov K. A. Assessment of manmade air pollution due to dusting at mine tailings storage facilities. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2021;(1):5-20. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236-1493-2021-1-0-5-20.

The study was carried out under the state contract between the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the Pacific National University in the science sphere, Project Code 0818-2020-0004.

L.P. Mayorova¹, Dr. Sci. (Chem.), Assistant Professor, Head of Chair, e-mail: 000318@pnu.edu.ru,
A.A. Cherentsova¹, Cand. Sci. (Biol.), Assistant Professor,
L.T. Krupskaya^1,2, Dr. Sci. (Biol.), Professor, Chief Researcher,
D.A. Golubev^1,2, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Senior Lecturer, Senior Researcher,
K.A. Kolobanov^1,2, Graduate Student, Junior Researcher,
¹ Pacific National University, 680035, Khabarovsk, Russia,
² Far Eastern Research Institute of Forestry, 680020, Khabarovsk, Russia.

L.P. Mayorova, e-mail: 000318@pnu.edu.ru.

1. Ovodova E. V., Gorobeyko E. V. Assessment of the impact of the mining complex of the Kavalerovsky ore district on the status of groundwater. Vestnik Inzhenernoy shkoly Dal'nevostochnogo federal'nogo universiteta. 2014, no 1 (18), pp. 40—46. [In Russ].

2. Khanchuk A. I., Krupskaya L. T., Zvereva V. P. Environmental problems of the development of tin ore raw materials in Primorye and Amur. Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy. 2012, no 1, pp. 62—68. [In Russ].

3. Zvereva V. P. Technogenic system of the Dalnegorsky district (Primorye) and its environmental consequences. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2006, no 4, pp. 78—80. [In Russ].

4. Grekhnev N. I., Usikov V. I. Regional economic and environmental problems associated with mineral waste from mining. Regional'nyye problemy. 2011, vol. 14, no 1, pp. 21—25. [In Russ].

5. Grekhnev N. I., Rasskazov I. Yu. Man-made deposits in the mineral waste of the Far East region as a new source of mineral raw materials. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2009, no 12, pp. 38—46. [In Russ].

6. Shcherbo A. P., Kiselev A. V., Negrienko K. V. Okruzhayushchaya sreda i zdorov'e: podkhody k otsenke riska [Environment and health: approaches to risk assessment], Saint-Petersburg, SPbMAPO, 2002, 376 p.

7. Pashkevich M.A., Ponurova I. K. Geoecological features of technogenic pollution of natural ecosystems of impact zone of tailings of the Mikhailovsky GOK. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2006, no 5, pp. 349—356. [In Russ].

8. Kemov K. N., Stifeev A. I. The state of the soil cover in the zone of influence of the Mikhailovsky GOK tailing dump and the use of ameliorants to increase the productivity of oats and alfalfa. Vestnik agrarnoy nauki. 2012, no 4 (37), pp. 36—38. [In Russ].

9. Goryukhin M. V. Study of the influx of heavy metals into the components of the natural environment, as exemplified by the Khingan tin ore deposit of the Jewish Autonomous Region. Izvestiya Tomskogo politekhnicheskogo universiteta. Inzhiniring georesursov. 2012, vol. 320, no 1, pp. 189—193 [In Russ].

10. Debelaya I. D., Ionkin K. V. Assessment of the current environmental situation on the territory of the Khingan mining and processing plant. Vodnye i ekologicheskie problemy, preobrazovanie ekosistem v usloviyakh global'nogo izmeneniya klimata. VI Druzhininskie chteniya: materialy Vserossiyskoy konferentsii s mezhdunarodnym uchastiem. 28—30 sentyabrya Khabarovsk [Water and environmental issues, ecosystem transformation in the context of global climate change. VI Druzhinin readings: materials of the all-Russian conference with international participation. September 28—30 Khabarovsk], Khabarovsk, IVEP DVO RAN, 2016, pp. 245—248. [In Russ].

11. Mayorova L. P., Matveenko T. I., Artem'eva I. V. Assessment of previously accumulated environmental damage resulting from the development of the Khingan tin ore deposit. Prirodnye resursy i ekologiya Dal'nevostochnogo regiona. T. 2 [Natural resources and ecology of Far Eastern region. Vol. 2], Khabarovsk, Izd-vo TOGU, 2017, pp. 115—120.

12. Mayorova L. P., Krupskaya L. T., Cherentsova A. A., Filatova M. Yu. Assessment of the environmental situation within the influence of tailings of the Dalnegorsky district of Primorsky Krai. Ekologicheskaya khimiya. 2018. vol. 27, no 6, pp. 317—327. [In Russ].

13. Khademi H., Abbaspour A., Martínez-Martínez S., Gabarrón M., Shahrokh V., Faz A., Acosta J. A. Provenance and environmental risk of windblown materials from mine tailing ponds, Murcia, Spain. Environmental Pollution. 2018. Vol. 241. Pp. 432—440. DOI: 10.1016/j. envpol.2018.05.084.

14. Popescu F. A performant state-of-art tool to assess cross-border impact of industrial activities. a transboundary air pollution case study. Procedia Technology. 2016. Vol. 22. Pp. 440— 444. DOI: 10.1016/j.protcy.2016.01.082.

15. Blondet I., Schreck E., Viers J., Casas S., Jubany I., Bahí N., Zouiten C., Dufréchou G., Freydier R., Galy C.-Lacaux, Martínez S.-Martínez, Faz A., Soriano M.-Disla, Acosta J. A., Darrozes J. Atmospheric dust characterisation in the mining district of Cartagena-La Unión, Spain: Air quality and health risks assessment. Science of The Total Environment. 2019. Vol. 693. Article 133496. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.302.

16. Bailey A. S., Jamieson H. E. Characterization of arsenic-hosting solid phases in tailings dust from giant mine: implications for air quality monitoring at legacy mine sites. Geological Society of America. Abstracts with Programs, 2017, Washington, USA. Vol. 49. No 6. Paper No 299—8. DOI: 10.1130/abs/2017AM-301385.

17. Ettler V., Cihlová M., Jarošíková A., Mihaljevič M., Drahota P., Kříbek B., Vaněk A., Penížek V., Sracek O., Klementová M., Engel Z., Kamona F., Mapani B. Oral bioaccessibility of metal(loid)s in dust materials from mining areas of northern Namibia. Environment International. 2019. Vol. 124. Pp. 205—215. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.12.027.

18. Metodicheskoe posobie po raschetu vybrosov ot neorganizovannykh istochnikov v promyshlennosti stroitel'nykh materialov [Toolkit for calculating emissions from fugitive sources in the building materials industry], Novorossiysk: ZAO «NIPIOTSTROM», 2000, 38 p. [In Russ].

19. Rukovodstvo po otsenke riska dlya zdorov'ya naseleniya pri vozdeystvii khimicheskikh veshchestv, zagryaznyayushchikh okruzhayushchuyu sredu: R 2.1.10.1920-04 [Guidelines for assessing the risk to public health from exposure to chemicals polluting the environment: R 2.1.10.1920-04], Moscow, Federal'nyy tsentr gossanepidnadzora Minzdrava Rossii, 2004, 144 p. [In Russ].

20. Kompleksnaya gigienicheskaya otsenka stepeni napryazhennosti mediko-ekologicheskoy situatsii razlichnykh territoriy, obuslovlennoy zagryazneniem toksikantami sredy obitaniya naseleniya : metodicheskie rekomendatsii [Comprehensive hygienic assessment of the degree of tension of the medical and environmental situation in various territories due to toxicants contaminating the population’s environment: guidelines No. 2510 / 5716-97-32], Moscow, Federal'nyy tsentr gossanepidnadzora Minzdrava Rossii, 2001, 41 p. [In Russ].