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Proof of concept for a passive sampler for monitoring of gaseous elemental mercury in artisanal gold mining

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Date
2017
Author
Santos, Elias de Barros [UNIFESP]
Moher, Paleah
Ferlin, Stacy
Fostier, Anne Helene
Mazali, Italo Odone
Telmer, Kevin
Brolo, Alexandre Guimaraes
Type
Artigo
ISSN
2045-2322
Is part of
Scientific Reports
DOI
10.1038/s41598-017-16713-7
Metadata
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Abstract
Mercury emissions from artisanal gold mining operations occurring in roughly 80 developing countries are a major workplace health hazard for millions of people as well as the largest contributor to global mercury pollution. There are no portable, cheap, and rapid methods able to inform workers or health practitioners of mercury exposure on site in remote locations. In this work, a proof of concept for a miniaturized mercury sampler, prepared by the direct reduction of gold into the porous nanostructures of Vycor glass (PVG), is introduced. Mercury retention on the PVG/Au sampler induces significant color changes, due to the formation of Au-Hg amalgam that affects the surface plasmon resonance characteristics of the material. The color change can potentially be quantified by the analysis of pictures obtained with a cell phone camera rapidly and onsite. Laboratory experiments showed the viability of using PVG/Au as passive sampler for monitoring of Hg degrees. PVG/Au samplers were then deployed in an artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) operations in Burkina Faso and it was able to indicate personal mercury exposures. The amount of mercury quantified in the samplers for all miners was higher than the current personal exposure limit set by the US Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).
Citation
Scientific Reports. London, v. 7, p. -, 2017.
Sponsorship
FAPESP
NSERC
United States Department of State (USDoS)
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
post-doctoral fellowship from CNPq (Science Without Borders)
post-doctoral fellowship from CIHR
Artisanal Gold Council
Ministry of the Environment
Ministry of Mines
Ministry of Health of Burkina Faso
URI
https://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/58162
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  • ICT - Artigos [439]

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