GCRF Mine Dust and Health Network

虽然采矿业对世界各地发展中国家的经济做出了重大贡献，但采矿活动对环境和健康产生了显著的负面影响。其中，采矿及其相关作业所排放的粉尘是一个日益令人关切的问题。除了影响吸入矿物粉尘颗粒的采矿工人的健康外，露天矿、矿石加工和金属提取厂、矿石堆、矿石运输容器和矿山废物存放场排放的粉尘也会影响更广泛的环境和社区。由矿尘暴露引起或加剧的肺部疾病包括硅肺病（由吸入石英或结晶二氧化硅引起），黑肺病（由吸入煤尘引起）和结核病（二氧化硅粉尘暴露增加了肺结核的风险，特别是在金矿工人中）。这给本已紧张的公共卫生和社会保障体系带来了巨大负担。采矿业的职业健康危害有充分的记录，最近，在针对南非六家主要采矿公司的集体诉讼中，粉尘和肺病之间的联系得到了承认，该诉讼有利于1965年3月至2018年5月期间在金矿工作的矿工，（https：//www.silicosissettlement.co.za/）。然而，与环境粉尘排放相关的健康影响，尽管经常受到社区和社区支持组织的关注，但尚未得到严格的研究。需要有意义的数据来告知哪些战略和政策最能减轻矿尘对居住在矿山和矿山垃圾场附近的社区的影响，这些社区的人口数以百万计。然而，收集这些数据并不简单。其中涉及许多复杂因素，粉尘来源及其影响受到健康、经济、社会、地质、环境、工程、管理和政治等领域相互关联的因素的影响。与矿井粉尘有关的问题也经常引起争议，涉及不同的利益攸关方和利益攸关方和受影响方，他们的优先事项各不相同，而且往往相互冲突。专家和非专业人员之间的接触和沟通不足、学科孤岛和两极分化的观点使得很难对与矿山粉尘环境排放相关的复杂健康问题形成全面的理解，从而很难设计出有意义的综合方法来解决这些问题。正是这些挑战，我们的GCRF矿山粉尘与健康网络将寻求通过汇集研究人员，来自不同学科和专业背景的利益攸关方和从业人员参加了研讨会，以确定采矿活动产生的粉尘污染对公共健康影响的来源、挑战和潜在的缓解机会。重点将是在不同学科和利益攸关方之间整合和分享关于以下方面的知识和信息：潜在的来源和传播途径;对环境和健康的潜在风险;受采矿影响社区的生活质量和生计;监测方法和做法;管理传播和影响的措施;利益攸关方的参与和沟通;以及治理政策、标准和条例。最终，全球环境基金的矿山粉尘与健康网络将作为一个合作智囊团，为以下方面提供信息：学科内和跨学科的研究方向;政府政策和法规;公共诊所的健康监测方案;行业最佳做法;南部非洲的社区保健和影响预防方案，随着网络的扩大，还将扩大到地球仪。

GCRF MINE DUST AND HEALTH NETWORK SUMMARYWhile the mining industry contributes significantly to the economies of developing countries around the world, mining activities have notable negative environmental and health impacts. Among these, the dust emitted by mining and its associated operations is a cause of increasing concern. Apart from impacting the health of mine-workers who breathe in mineral dust particles, dust is emitted from open pit mines, ore processing and metal extraction plants, ore stockpiles, ore transport containers and mine waste deposits, impacting the wider environment and communities. Lung diseases caused or exacerbated by mine dust exposure include silicosis (caused by inhaling quartz or crystalline silica), black lung disease (caused by inhaling coal dust) and tuberculosis (silica dust exposure increases the risk of pulmonary TB, particularly in gold miners). This places a huge burden on already-strained public health and social security systems.Occupational health hazards from mining are well documented, and the link between dust and lung disease was recently recognised in a class action lawsuit against the six main mining houses in South Africa, awarded in favour of mine workers who contracted silicosis and TB working on gold mines between March 1965 and May 2018 (https://www.silicosissettlement.co.za/). However, the health effects associated with environmental dust emissions, although frequently a concern expressed by communities and community support organisations, have not been rigorously studied. Meaningful data is needed to inform what strategies and policies will work best to mitigate the effects of mine dust on communities living near mines and mine dumps, the populations of which number in their millions. Gathering such data is not simple, however. There are many complexities involved, with dust sources and their effects being influenced by inter-related factors covering the health, economic, social, geological, environmental, engineering, management, and political spheres. The issues associated with mine dust are also frequently contentious and involve diverse stakeholders and interested and affected parties with different, and often conflicting priorities. Poor engagement and communication between experts and lay persons, disciplinary silos and polarised viewpoints have made it difficult to develop a holistic understanding of the complex health issues associated with environmental emissions of mine dusts, and consequently to design meaningful and integrated approaches to address such issues.It is these challenges that our GCRF MINE DUST AND HEALTH NETWORK will seek to address by bringing together researchers, stakeholders and practitioners from a variety of disciplines and professional backgrounds to identify sources, challenges and potential mitigation opportunities associated with public health effects from dust pollution arising from mining activities. Focus will be on integrating and sharing knowledge and information across different disciplines and stakeholders on potential source and dispersion pathways; potential risks to the environment and the health, quality of life and livelihoods of mining-affected communities; monitoring methods and practices; measures to manage dispersion and impacts; stakeholder engagement and communication; and governance policies, standards and regulations. Ultimately, the GCRF Mine Dust and Health network will serve as a collaborative think-tank to inform research directions both within and across disciplines; government policy and regulations; health monitoring programmes at public clinics; industry best practice; and community healthcare and impact prevention programmes across southern Africa and, as the Network expands, the globe.