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Laws governing the decline of coal mining areas
Published in Wang Yuehan, Ge Shirong, Guo Guangli, Mining Science and Technology, 2004
Zhensheng Wang, Tao Lu, Guorong Li
The distribution of coal resource has regional features. When coal resource is discovered in a certain area and is assessed to have mining value, coal resource in this area will then be put into exploration. With coal mine construction workers entering this area, the coal production capacity gradually forms up. Eventually the coal industry is well developed and becomes the pillar industry to support other local industries and life of the local people. Around coal production emerges a complete surface supporting system covering electricity and water supply, equipment manufacture and maintenance, transportation and administration. Also with the evolution of a coal mining area comes a mining community that is made up of mining workers and their families. In order to support the life of the mining community, such industries as catering, telecommunication, transportation, finance, culture, medical care, trade, and hotel all come into existence. Coal industry is critical to the growth of a nation’s economic growth, hence coal-mining areas normally can get financial support from the central government. With government investment and preferential tax or credit treatment a coal mining area can quickly grow into a mining city or economic zone featuring coal mining. Examples of this kind include Luer in Germany, Jiuzhou in Japan and Jixi, Zaozhuang, Pingdingshan, Huainan in China. All these areas have developed because of rich coal resources. Most of these mining areas and cities regard coal industry as their pillar industry. The output value of coal industry accounts for 20% to 60% of their total industrial output value. And staff and workers of the mining industry plus their families represent 30 % to 70% of the local population (Wang, et al. 1999).
Ecological and radiological hazards due to natural radioactivity and heavy metals in soils of some selected mining sites in Nigeria
Published in Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 2020
Chidiebere G. Dike, Blessing O. Oladele, Omodele E. Olubi, Oluwatobi O. Ife-Adediran, Adetunji Aderibigbe
To assess the radiological impact of these natural radionuclides in the soils of the study area, the absorbed dose rates, outdoor annual effective dose and the ELCRs were calculated (Table 3). The outdoor annual effective dose was calculated using an occupancy factor of 0.33 and 0.42 for the host communities and mining sites respectively. These values were chosen based on the understanding that the dwellers of the mining communities stay outdoor for about 8 h daily, while the miners spend about 10 h at the mining sites. For the mining communities, the values obtained for the OAED was highest at Danwal a tin mining community in Plataeu State. The OAED obtained for natural radionuclides in soils of the Coal mining communities were relatively low compared to those obtained for the gold and tin mining communities. Sabon–Barki tin mining site had the highest OAED while the lowest OAED were seen in Iva and Onyeama coal mining sites in Enugu state. The ELCR followed the same trend as the OAED. All the values obtained for the OAED and ELCR were lower than the International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommended limits of 1 mSv/y and unity (ICRP 1999), respectively. Hence, the populace of the study areas do not suffer any serious health risk as a result of exposure to natural radionuclides in soils of the area. However, the massive increase in the activity concentrations of the radionuclides in the soils of the mining sites is a cause for concern.
Evaluation of health risks associated with trace metal exposure in water from the Barekese reservoir in Kumasi, Ghana
Published in Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 2020
O. Akoto, E. Gyimah, Z. Zhan, H. Xu, C. Nimako
The concentrations of dissolved and total metals detected in water samples from various zones of the Barekese Reservoir have been presented in Tables 3 and 4. The mean concentration of total Hg recorded in water from the Barekese Reservoir was found to be 0.01 mg/L (Tables 3 and 4), which is above the 0.002 mg/L USEPA (2018) permissible value for Hg in drinking water. However, the mean concentrations of dissolved Hg in water samples from the three zones did not differ significantly among the different zones. Also, differences between dissolved Hg and total Hg concentrations of the Reservoir were not statistically significant at p < 0.05. However, levels of Hg in the water samples in this study were found to be significantly lower than that recorded by Serfor-Armah et al. (2006) in drinking water samples from Prestea, a mining community and its environs. In another study Osafo (2011) recorded a mean total Hg value of 0.301 mg/L in water from the Birim River in Ghana. Results of our study ultimately indicate that, Hg pollution of the Barekese reservoir could be because of anthropogenic activities such as the artisanal mining along the Offin River, which is the main feeder stream of the reservoir.
Social licence: power imbalances and levels of consciousness – two case studies
Published in International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 2020
Michael Hitch, Murray Lytle, Michael Tost
The conclusion of case study 1 is that the successful negotiation of an IBA between project proponent and local community may not be indicative of widespread SLO. The degree to which individuals in a community offer SLO may be proportional to the social power those individuals possess. The principles of sustainability in an IBA imply an equal opportunity to move forward together and that economic sufficiency, maintenance of biophysical integrity and enhancement of social well-being are not reserved for one ethnic population but benefit everyone. Several of the respondents interviewed in case study 1 emphasised this co-development aspect of IBA agreements. However, the distribution of decision-making power lies largely in the hands of those individuals within the community with social power and, to a lesser extent, with either the industrial actor or less empowered individuals within the community. The resulting distribution of willingness within the community members to offer SLO results in the goals of a sustainable mining community remaining unmet.