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Bone River, which is located in the eastern part of Gorontalo, Indonesia, has an issue of contamination by heavy metals due to artisanal small-scale gold mine (ASGM) activities. This river is used as a source of water by inhabitants living along the river, due to the lack of another clean water supply. The purpose of this study is to investigate the concentration of As from the mining site alongside Bone River, and to reveal the As pollution source. Water and sediment samples were collected from ASGM and along Bone River to the delta. The concentrations of As, Hg, and Pb in water samples were identified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP–MS), while concentrations in sediment samples were determined by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). Results showed that the concentrations of As, Hg, and Pb in water ranged from 66 to 82,500 µg/L, 17 to 2080 µg/L, and 11 to 1670 µg/L, respectively. These levels exceeded, by 1000 to 10,000 times, the safe limits of drinking water defined by the World Health Organization, which indicated that Bone River water is not safe for drinking or cooking purposes.

Mercury (Hg) contamination in soil and forage plants is toxic to ecosystems, and artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the main source of such pollution in the Bombana area of Indonesia. Hg contamination in soil and forage plants was investigated by particle-induced X-ray emission analysis of samples collected from three savannah areas (i.e., ASGM, commercial mining, and control areas) in the Bombana area. Hg contents of forage plants in the ASGM area (mean 9.90 ± 14 µg/g) exceeded those in the control area (2.70 ± 14 µg/g). Soil Hg contents (mean 390 ± 860 µg/g) were also higher than those in the control area (mean 7.40 ± 9.90 µg/g), with levels exceeding international regulatory limits. The Hg contents of 69% of soil and 78% of forage-plant samples exceeded critical toxicological limits. Thus, the Hg levels observed in this study indicate that contamination extending over large areas may cause major environmental problems.

Substances found in watersheds and sediments in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) areas contaminated by heavy metals are becoming tremendously critical issues in Asia. This study aimed at clarifying the pollution caused by heavy metals in sediments in river basins near ASGM sites in Gorontalo Province, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Sediment samples collected from experimental areas were classified into nine clay samples and twenty-seven sand samples, whereas three other samples were collected from the control area. Particle-induced X-ray emission was used to analyze these samples. The Statistical Package for the Social Science and the geo-accumulation index (Igeo) were also used for analysis. Based on the results, Hg, Pb, As, and Zn had a concentration of 0–334 µg/g, 5.5–1930 µg/g, 0–18,900 µg/g, and 0–4923.2 µg/g, respectively, which exceeded limits recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency consensus (1991) and the Indonesian Government Regulation Number 38, 2011. Furthermore, Igeo showed the order of the pollution degree Hg < Zn < Pb < As and reflected an environment contaminated by heavy metals, ranging from unpolluted to extremely polluted areas. Therefore, sediments contaminated by Hg, Pb, As, and Zn could be found along the river basin of mining areas.

In this paper, we report ecological and environmental investigations on Pteris vittata in the As–Pb–Hg-polluted Bone River area, Gorontalo Province, Indonesia. The density distribution of P. vittata decreases from around the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) site to the lower reaches of the Bone River, and it is rarely found near Gorontalo City. The maximum concentrations of As, Hg, and Pb recorded in the soil samples were 401, 36, and 159 mg kg−1, respectively, with their maximum concentrations in P. vittata recorded as 17,700, 5.2, and 39 mg kg−1, respectively. Around the ASGM sites, the concentrations of As, Pb, and Hg in P. vittata were highest in the study area. These data suggest that P. vittata, a hyperaccumulator of As, may be useful as a bioindicator for assessing environmental pollution by Pb and Hg.

The evaluation of mercury impact on humans is currently nonspecific because the body characteristics (homeostasis) of each human being varies. Therefore, in the early diagnosis of mercury toxicity, one of the most important monitoring parameters is the respiratory function examination. In this study, respiratory function was examined with a portable spirometer and correlated with the mercury levels in hair from the noses and heads of subjects. Samples were taken from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) areas (villages of East Tulabolo and Dunggilata) and control areas (villages of Bongo and Longalo) in Gorontalo Province, Indonesia. A statistical analysis with the Mann–Whitney test (alternative) showed significant differences in lung function between the polluted and control areas (α = 0.03). The analysis of nasal and head hair samples with particle-induced X-ray emissions (PIXE) showed that the mercury levels in the ASGM area were considerably higher than in the more homogeneous control areas. This study confirms that a pulmonary function test is a quick and precise alternative way to monitor the impact of mercury on humans, especially atmospheric mercury, because we detected a negative correlation between pulmonary function and the level of mercury in hair.

It is well known that atmospheric mercury (Hg) contaminates air, water, soil, and living organisms, including trees. Therefore, tree bark can be used for the environmental assessment of atmospheric contamination because it absorbs heavy metals. This study aimed to establish a new biomonitoring for the assessment of atmospheric Hg pollution. Reporting on atmospheric Hg contamination in an artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) area in North Gorontalo, Indonesia, we calculated the total weight of Hg (THg) and quantitatively measured the concentrations of Hg in the tree bark of Mangifera indica, Syzygium aromaticum, Terminalia catappa, and Lansium domesticum. The THg of Hg in the M. indica tree bark samples ranged from not detected (ND) to 74.6 μg dry weight (DW) per sample. The total Hg in the tree bark of S. aromaticum, T. catappa, and L. domesticum ranged from ND to 156.8, ND to 180, and ND to 63.4 μg DW, respectively. We concluded that topography significantly influences the accumulation of Hg together with local weather conditions. A mapped distribution of the THg suggested that the distribution of THg in the tree bark was not affected by the distance to the amalgamation site. Therefore, tree bark can be used as biomonitoring of atmospheric Hg contamination for the assessment of ASGM areas.

The rapid expansion of the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) industry in developing countries has marginalized the local communities in poverty, and resulted in occupational exposure to mercury via the gold extraction process. We investigated the mercury exposure of the mining workers lived inside and outside the mining area. Based on the occupations of the contributors, the hair samples were divided into three subgroups: directly exposed, indirectly exposed, and a control. A total of 81 hair samples were analyzed by particle-induced X-ray emission spectrometry. The median mercury concentration was highest in the hair from the directly exposed group (12.82 μg/g hair) (control group median: 4.8 μg/g hair, p < 0.05), and the concentrations in hair from 45 respondents exceeded the Human Biomonitoring I (HBM I) threshold limit. Mercury concentrations were also elevated in the hair from the indirectly exposed group (median 7.64 μg/g hair, p < 0.05), and concentrations in hair from 24 respondents exceeded the HBM I threshold limits. Exposure to mercury during ASGM presents health risks and is harmful for the miners; mercury is also at hazardous levels for people who live in the mining area but who are not engaged in mercury-based gold extraction.

Measuring biomaterials is usually subject to error. Measurement errors are classified into either random errors or biases. Random errors can be well controlled using appropriate statistical methods. But, biases due to unknown, unobserved, or temporary causes, may lead to biased conclusions. This study describes a verification method to examine whether measurement errors are random or not and to determine efficient statistical methods. A number of studies have dealt with associations between hair minerals and exposures such as health, dietary or environmental conditions. Most review papers, however, emphasize the necessity for validation of hair mineral measurements, since large variations can cause highly variable results. To address these issues, we answer the following questions: How can we ascertain the reliability of measurements?How can we assess and control the variability of measurements?How do we efficiently determine associations between hair minerals and exposures?How can we concisely present the reference values? Since hair minerals all have distinctive natures, it would be unproductive to examine each mineral individually to find significant and consistent answers that apply to all minerals. To surmount this difficulty, we used one simple model for all minerals to explore quantitative answers. Hair mineral measurements of six-year-old children were analyzed based on the statistical model. The analysis verified that most of the measurements were reliable, and their inter-individual variations followed two-parameter distributions. These results allow for sophisticated study designs and efficient statistical methods to examine the effects of various kinds of exposures on hair minerals.

Despite legal and safety issues, skin-lightening cosmetic products—including hazardous mercury-containing cosmetics—are in increasing demand in Indonesia. Perceptions of beauty may result in desires to have lighter skin tones, regardless of the safety of these cosmetics, which block the production of melanin and thus lighten skin tone. This study investigated Hg exposure of students using skin-lightening cosmetics and assessed the health issues. A total of 105 female students were given a questionnaire regarding their use of cosmetics; a further 43 students formed a non-cosmetic-user control group. Their scalp hair and cosmetic products were analyzed by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) spectroscopy. The geometric-mean hair Hg concentration for the cosmetics-using students was 6.7 µg g−1—three times that of the control group (2.3 µg g−1). Of twenty-seven cosmetic samples were analyzed, twenty had Hg concentrations of 0.12–7834.4 µg g−1 (mean 554.6 µg g−1), and seven had no detectable Hg. The hair Hg concentrations exhibited a statistically significant correlation with cosmetic Hg concentration. The health assessments indicated only rigidity & ataxia and irregular eye movement were prevalent in the cosmetic-using students with less than 7% occurrences.

The industrial mining sector is one of the main contributors to environmental damage and toxic metal pollution, although some contamination originates from natural geological sources. Due to their position at the top of the food chain, cattle tend to bioaccumulate mercury (Hg) in their bodies. We used analyses of cattle hair samples to investigate Hg contamination in cattle farmed within and outside of an artisanal and small-scale gold-mining area in Bombana, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. We also examined the factors that might have influenced the toxicity, such as the environmental conditions, sex, and age of the cattle. A total of 63 hair samples were analyzed by particle-induced X-ray emission spectrometry. The mean Hg concentration was significantly higher in hair from cattle farmed within the artisanal and small-scale gold mining area (11.44 μg/g hair) than in those farmed outside the area (2.89 μg/g hair, p < 0.05). A possible cause of this is contamination by mercury persistent in terrestrial food chain. The results indicates that the level of toxic metals such as Hg need to be controlled in food sources to protect human health, especially in Bombana, Indonesia.