HERisk: An improved spatio-temporal human health risks assessment software.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Toxicology
• Geochemistry

Background:

• Risk assessment is crucial for managing polluted sites, especially mining areas.
• Traditional deterministic risk assessment uses fixed values, limiting accuracy.
• The Human, Ecological and Radiological Risk (HERisk) code offers advanced space-time risk assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the enhanced HERisk code, improving its performance and applicability.
• To evaluate ecological pollution and human health risks in a nickel mining region.
• To identify sources and pathways of potentially toxic elements (PTEs).

Main Methods:

• Utilized the enhanced HERisk code for space-time risk assessment.
• Analyzed potentially toxic elements (Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in soils and surface waters.
• Applied statistical analyses and ecological pollution indices.

Main Results:

• Potentially toxic elements are non-homogeneously distributed, indicating localized enrichment from mining and agriculture.
• Anthropogenic pollution is confirmed around the mining area, particularly near waste piles.
• Cobalt (Co) poses the highest human health risk, with meat ingestion and water consumption as primary exposure routes.

Conclusions:

• The entire area surrounding the mine is classified as a high risk for human health.
• The enhanced HERisk code provides a versatile tool for comprehensive environmental and health risk evaluations.
• Mining and agricultural activities significantly contribute to environmental pollution and associated health risks.