Unit 3.6 -MINING -Impact on Environment & Human Health

Minerals are the natural resources which play an important role in the economic development of the country. Some minerals can be obtained easily and cheaply than others because they lie at the surface of the earth. Others lie buried at depths of thousand metres beneath the earth’s surface. They can be explored by digging deep underground.

In the present time, mining is the basic factor for industrial development, because it alone provides means for advanced industrial operations. Minerals enable man to increase his productivity. Man utilizes various minerals to minimize his labour. In effect, minerals enlarge the versatility of a man’s hand and multiply the power of his muscles.

Mining and the processing of minerals exert tremendous impact on the economic well- being of a country in a number of ways which can be summarized as follows:

(a) They provide employment opportunities.

(b) They attract population to be settled around the mining sites.

(c) They stimulate the development of transportation.

(d) They open new scope for export earnings.

(e) Minerals extend the scope for the development of domestic industries.

 

But the extraction and mining of these natural resources leads to some adverse effect on our environment as well.Some of the major effects of mining on the environment are as follows:

1. It leads to the emission of dust, suspended particle and gases which cause air pollution.

2. Release of harmful trace element e.g., CO, Pb, Cd etc. leads to the contamination of surface water.

3. Underground water is also contaminated due to seepage and infiltration of leached drainage.

4. Mining leads to the degradation of soil quality, fertility and makes it toxic.

5. Natural vegetation get adversely effected due to leached trace element.

6. The major consequences of mining is the deforestation which results in loss of flora and fauna.

7. It directly affect the ecosystem and its stability as many species are killed due to toxicity of water and soil and loss of habitat.

8. Mining results in wastage of land as it neither remain suitable for industrial use nor for agricultural purposes.

9. Mining directly results in the loss of landscape and beauty of surrounding.

IMPACT OF MINING ON  HUMAN HEALTH

HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH COAL MINING

(Source:http://www.kyenvironmentalfoundation.org/coal-mining-health-risks.html)

There are a great many risks to your health which can be linked to coal mining operations. Though there are obvious workplace hazards associated with working in a coal mine, these are not the only risks associated with mining activities. Simply living within proximity of a mine can actually cause a variety of health concerns, and both types of mining (deep and surface) pose their own set of problems.

Occupational Hazards of Miners

Miners face a plethora of dangers working in what often amount to cramped, unsafe facilities. The threat of injury is almost constant, miners often being injured from falling objects, equipment, and roof collapse. Though the threat of physical injury is a real concern for many, this is not the only threat that miners face. Miners also run the risk of respiratory damage through the high levels of dust and other chemical particulates present in deep coal mining facilities. Some of the disorders caused by these particulates include COPD, coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP, also known as black lung), and progressive massive fibrosis (PMF). The threat of damage to hearing is also a constant concern as the equipment miners work around is quite loud.

Deep Coal Mining Community Health Risks

The health outcomes associated with living in a deep coal mining community are various. Everything from increased rates of lung cancer, respiratory disease, and low birth weight can be linked to communities that are located near mining facilities. Some illness and disease rates (COPD and hypertension specifically) are directly correlated to the number of tons of coal that are extracted from mines. These health issues pose a significant risk to all people located within proximity of deep coal mining facilities.

Surface Mining Community Health Risks

Communities located within proximity of mountaintop mining sites face a broad array of health concerns due to several factors. The use of explosives at these sites causes a great amount of dust which can affect the respiratory health of nearby communities. These explosives are also created from chemicals which have been linked to poisoning in local area residents. These explosions are also capable of fracturing underground water tables and lead to the contamination of drinking water by heavy metals, mine drainage, and methane gas. Explosions have caused flying debris that have crashed into homes causing structural damage and even loss of life. Also, several of the illnesses associated with deep coal mining are also present in communities located within proximity of surface mining sites.