CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH MINING

本节目将重点关注最常见的化学污染物 结果，或者是在沙漠中开采金银的结果 美国西部的环境。该计划由六个部分组成 项目。在其中两个项目中，将研究氰化物(CN)，因为 这种有毒的化学物质是当今最常用的化学物质 低品位矿石的开采。从历史上看，黄金和白银通常是 使用汞(Hg)汞齐工艺提取，释放出大量 进入环境中的汞的数量。其中六个项目将研究 汞污染/生物医学影响的各个方面，并将重点放在 其中一个地点是内华达州北部的卡森河超级基金网站(CRSS)。在……里面 这种干旱的环境中，硒(Se)天然存在于高 浓度，以及它对汞的干预也将被调查， 尤其是当它涉及到生殖影响的时候。该计划包括3个 实验动物研究；生态项目(汞/硒)；水文地质学 项目(汞)；大气运输项目(汞)；以及环境 化学项目(CN)。后3个项目提供必要的选址和 生物医学项目的化学表征信息。 除了哺乳动物外，还相当重视鸟类物种。 毒性和对人类健康的影响，因为该地区的候鸟 受到CN和汞废物的不利影响。其中两个生物医学项目 与对氧化剂诱导的细胞损伤的关注密切相关，因为 汞和氰化物都会损伤线粒体，并可能增加活性物质的形成 氧气物种。预计在本报告中获得的信息 该计划将有助于确定对人类健康和生态的威胁 系统，特别是鸟类，从有毒的采矿废物中。此外， 地质和大气运输研究将提供独特的， 预测模型在评估补救行动方面将是非常有价值的 卡森河遗址，并将促进我们对 这些毒素通过我们的环境传播的过程。

This program will focus on the most common chemical contaminants which results, or have resulted from mining of gold and silver in the desert environment of the Western United States. The program consists of six projects. In two of these projects cyanide (CN) will be studied because this toxic chemical is the most common chemical used today for the extraction of low-grade ores. Historically, gold and silver were commonly extracted using a mercury (Hg) amalgamation process which released large amounts of mercury into the environment. Six of the projects will study various aspects of Hg contamination/biomedical effects and will focus on one site, the Carson River Superfund Site (CRSS) in Northern Nevada. In this arid environment, selenium (Se) is naturally present in high concentration, and its intervention with Hg will also be investigated, especially as it relates to reproductive effects. The program includes 3 laboratory animal study (Hg); an ecology project (Hg/Se); a hydrogeology project (Hg); an atmospheric transport project (Hg); and an environmental chemistry project (CN). The latter 3 projects provide essential site and chemical characterization information to the biomedical projects. Considerable emphasis is placed on avian species, in addition to mammalian toxicity and human health effects, because migratory birds in this area are adversely affected by both CN and Hg waste. Two of the biomedical projects are intimately linked by a focus on oxidant-induced cellular damage, since both Hg and Cn damage mitochondria and may increase formation of reactive oxygen species. It is expected that the information obtained in this program will help to determine the threat to human health and ecological systems, particularly birds, from toxic mining waste. Furthermore, the geological and atmospheric transport studies will provide unique, predictive models which will be invaluable in assessing remedial action at the Carson River Site and will advance our basic understanding of the processes by which these toxins spread through our environment.