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Title: | Characterization of inhalation exposure to gaseous elemental mercury during artisanal gold mining and e-waste recycling through combined stationary and personal passive sampling† |
Authors: | Snow, Melanie A. Darko, Godfred Gyamfi, Opoku Ansah, Eugene Breivik, Knut Hoang, Christopher Lei, Ying Duan Wania, Frank |
Issue Date: | 2021 |
Publisher: | Environmental Science Processes & Impacts |
Citation: | Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2021, 23, 569 |
Abstract: | While occupational inhalation exposure to gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) has decreased in many
workplaces as mercury is being removed from most products and processes, it continues to be a concern
for those engaged in artisanal and small-scale gold mining or in recycling mercury-containing products.
Recently, stationary and personal passive air samplers based on activated carbon sorbents and radial
diffusive barriers have been shown to be suitable for measuring GEM concentrations across the range
relevant for chronic health effects. Here, we used a combination of stationary and personal passive
samplers to characterize the inhalation exposure to GEM of individuals living and working in two Ghanaian
gold mining communities and working at a Norwegian e-waste recycling facility. Exposure concentrations
ranging from <7 ng m 3 to >500 mg m 3 were observed, with the higher end of the range occurring in one
gold mining community. Large differences in the GEM exposure averaged over the length of a workday
between individuals can be rationalized by their activity and proximity to mercury sources. In each of the
three settings, the measured exposure of the highest exposed individuals exceeded the highest
concentration recorded with a stationary sampler, presumably because those individuals were engaged in
an activity that generated or involved GEM vapors. High day-to-day variability in exposure for those who
participated on more than one day, suggests the need for sampling over multiple days for reliable exposure
characterization. Overall, a combination of personal and stationary passive sampling is a cost-effective
approach that cannot only provide information on exposure levels relative to regulatory thresholds, but also
can identify emission hotspots and therefore guide mitigation measures. |
Description: | An article published in Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2021, 23, 569; DOI: 10.1039/d0em00494d |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/13733 |
Appears in Collections: | College of Science
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