Risk Assessment on Human Health: the Case of Primorsky Krai Abandoned Sulfide-Rich Tailings Dump

Abstract

To evaluate the human health risk, the Vetvisty creek (Vysokogorsk settlement, Primorsky krai) water quality monitoring was performed, and health risk associated with exposure to metals via oral ingestion was calculated. The results of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry analyses for six samples collected in May, August, and November 2019 demonstrated a spatial variation of dissolved metals concentrations in the Vetvisty creek flow at stations before and after the tailings dam. The obtained characteristics of creek water samples allowed us to reveal, that the greatest contribution to carcinogenic risk is made is made by arsenic (up to 0.00160 mg/L and 2,99×10−5 of individual lifetime risk). The obtained cancer risk associated with exposure to metals via oral ingestion have the values of 3,17×10−5 and 2.28×10−5 before and after the Vysokogorsk tailings dam, respectively. All the risk levels are in carcinogenic risks range acceptable by United States Environmental Protection Agency and do not require any additional measures except of dissolved metals content control.