Trace Elements in Pennsylvanian Shales in Relation to Environmental Health in Northeastern Pennsylvania

Abstract

Thirty shale samples from the Wyoming-Lackawanna Valley in northeast Pennsylvania, overlying and underlying major Pennsylvanian coal beds, were chemically analyzed for the trace elements Cr, Ni, and Co which are known to have a carcinogenic effect on human lungs. Several cases of lung cancer were reported among miners in the northern field of the Anthracite Region and the cause was attributed to the presence of radioactive minerals in coal and rock dust. The present study shows the rock formations in the area to have negligible amounts of radioactive material and relatively high concentrations of trace elements. The pattern of relative concentration of the trace elements agrees quite well with the number of lung cancer cases reported from the different regions; the highest is in the southern part of the valley. It is suggested here that the lung cancer cases reported among coal miners in the area could be attributed to long exposure to rock dust containing high concentrations of trace elements.