A groundbreaking study has provided pivotal new insights into the extensive impact of metal mining contamination on rivers and floodplains across the world.
The new research, by an international team of researchers including Professor Karen Hudson-Edwards from the University of Exeter, offers a comprehensive understanding of the environmental and health challenges associated with metal mining activities.
Using a new georeferenced global database of 185,000 metal mines and employing a combination of process-based modelling and empirical testing, the research assessed the global scale of metal mining contamination in river systems and its repercussions for human populations and livestock.
The study, led by the University of Lincoln, modelled contamination from all known active and inactive metal mining sites, including tailings storage facilities – used to store mine waste – and looked at potentially harmful contaminants such as lead, zinc, copper, and arsenic, which are transported downstream from mining operations, and often deposited along river channels and floodplains for extended periods.
Read more at: University of Exeter