Health Consultation: Public Health Implications of Exposure to Metals Associated with an Unpermitted Gold Mill in Southwestern Colorado, Red Arrow Mine and Mill Site, Mancos, Montezuma County, Colorado, September 4, 2014.

摘要

The Colorado Cooperative Program for Environmental Health Assessments’ (CCPEHA) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s (ATSDR) top priority is to ensure that all stakeholders have the best health information possible to protect the public from past, current, and future health hazards associated with previous operations and the resulting environmental hazards posed by the Red Arrow Mine and Mill Site in Montezuma County, Colorado. In September 2013, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety (DRMS) contacted the CCPEHA for assistance in evaluating the potential health hazards associated with an unpermitted milling facility located just outside the limits of the Town of Mancos, Colorado. Based on evidence gathered at the mill during a DRMS inspection, it appears that the operators of the mill were using mercury amalgamation to extract gold from fine ore concentrates. The elemental mercury used in the amalgamation process is highly toxic and could present a potential hazard to human health and the environment.