Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, and zinc contamination in mine tailings and nearby streams of three abandoned mines from Korea

摘要

There are more than 1,000 abandoned mines in Korea, entailing considerable amounts of waste materials such as rock, tailings and slag. In many cases, mine tailings, the major solid wastes, have been disposed to nearby valleys and cultivated lands without appropriate treatment. Most of these tailings have been exposed to physical and chemical weathering, leading to high concentrations of As and heavy metals in the immediate vicinity of mine and consequently causing to contaminate surrounding soils, groundwater and streams (Castro-Larragoitia et al. 1997; Jung 2001; Lee et al. 2001; Shu et al. 2001). Up to now, many studies have been conducted to determine the behaviors of As and heavy metals in the mine tailings and to assess their impact to human and organisms (Lee et al. 2001; Riba et al. 2002).