Suchergebnisse

AbstractPeople living and working in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) areas are frequently exposed to elemental mercury (Hg), which is used for gold extraction. However, additional exposure to other toxic metals such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) may result from mining-related activities and could be ingested via dust, water or food. In these areas, only limited biomonitoring data is available for toxic metals other than Hg. In particular, data about the exposure to As, Cd and Pb is unavailable for the Zimbabwean population. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study in two ASGM areas in Zimbabwe to evaluate the internal exposure to these metals. In total, urine and blood samples from 207 people that identified themselves as miners were collected and analysed for As and Cd in urine as well as Pb in blood by GF-AAS. Median levels (interquartile ranges in μg/l) of As and Pb were 9.7 μg/l (4.0, 18.5) and 19.7 μg/l (12.5, 34.5), respectively. The 25th percentile and the median for Cd were below the limit of detection (0.5 μg/l); the 75th percentile was at 0.9 μg/l. The results were compared to reference values found for the general population in the USA and Germany, and a significant number of participants exceeded these values (As, 33 %; Cd, 27 %; Pb, 32 %), indicating a relevant exposure to toxic metals. Although not representative for the Zimbabwean population, our results demonstrate that the exposure to toxic metals is relevant for the public health in Zimbabwe and requires further investigation.

Dieser Abschlussbericht des Forschungsvorhabens "Quantifizierung der Krankheitslast verursacht durch Ozon-⁠Exposition⁠ in Deutschland für die Jahre 2007-2016" dokumentiert das Projektziel, die verwendeten Methoden und dessen Ergebnisse. Beschrieben werden die gesundheitlichen Effekte in der deutschen Bevölkerung durch die Langzeit-Exposition gegenüber Ozon, die mittels der Environmental Burden of Disease-Methode in Form umweltbedingter Krankheitslasten für die Jahre 2007 - 2016 quantifiziert wurden. Besonderes Augenmerk galt dabei der Schätzung der Krankheitslast durch Ozon basierend auf Effektschätzern, die für Feinstaub (⁠PM2,5⁠) und Stickstoffdioxid (NO2) adjustiert wurden. Die Publikation richtet sich an Fachexpert*innen im Bereich Umwelt, Gesundheit / Public Health, an Medienvertreter*innen entsprechender fachlicher Ausrichtung sowie an politisch Verantwortliche im Bereich Luftreinhaltung und Gesundheitsschutz.