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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
Impending Pollution of Betare Oya Opencast Mining Environment (Eastern Cameroon)
Author(s)
Tehna Natanael, Nguene Feudoung Daniel, Etame Jacques, Medza Ekodo Jean Marc, Noa Tang Sylvie, Suh Emmanuel Cheo and Bilong Paul
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DOI:10.17265/2162-5263/2015.01.006
Affiliation(s)
ABSTRACT
Mining resources are offered
by the natural milieu and liable to exploitation. Raw materials extracted are essential
for jewellery and economy. But in most cases, the environmental impact assessment
is disappointing. In this study conducted at Betare Oya, mining residues are directly disposed in the immediate
environment without passing through the tailing ponds for treatment, despite environmental
laws and standards. Soluble components of matter
are slowly dissolved,
drained by meteoric water and flowed into tail bay vicinity. Soil and mining residues were sampled in Mari, Mbigala,
Mboufa and Bedobo, respectively, four sub-watershed of Lom,
the main river of the region. Concentration of nine MTE (metallic trace elements): As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Co, Ni, Pb, Zn and Hg were determined
by ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry). Highest concentrations of trace and toxic metals in soil and mining residues
are: Cr (210 mg·kg-1) > Zn (136 mg·kg-1) > Ni (64 mg·kg-1) > As (34 mg·kg-1) > Cu (30 mg·kg-1) > Pb (25 mg·kg-1) > Co (17 mg·kg-1) > Cd (0.5 mg·kg-1) > Hg (0.1 mg·kg-1), respectively. These results let assume that it is a risk of environmental
pollution and poisoning relative to these elements around Betare Oya opencast mining area,
with impact on human health.
KEYWORDS
Mining, mounds mining residues, pollution, metallic trace elements, toxicology.
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