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Short-term microbial effects of a large-scale mine-tailing storage facility collapse on the local natural environment.

ABSTRACT: We investigated the impacts of the Mount Polley tailings impoundment failure on chemical, physical, and microbial properties of substrates within the affected watershed, comprised of 70 hectares of riparian wetlands and 40 km of stream and lake shore. We established a biomonitoring network in October of 2014, two months following the disturbance, and evaluated riparian and wetland substrates for microbial community composition and function via 16S and full metagenome sequencing. A total of 234 samples were collected from substrates at 3 depths and 1,650,752 sequences were recorded in a geodatabase framework. These data revealed a wealth of information regarding watershed-scale distribution of microbial community members, as well as community composition, structure, and response to disturbance. Substrates associated with the impact zone were distinct chemically as indicated by elevated pH, nitrate, and sulphate. The microbial community exhibited elevated metabolic capacity for selenate and sulfate reduction and an abundance of chemolithoautotrophs in the Thiobacillus thiophilus/T. denitrificans/T. thioparus clade that may contribute to nitrate attenuation within the affected watershed. The most impacted area (a 6 km stream connecting two lakes) exhibited 30% lower microbial diversity relative to the remaining sites. The tailings impoundment failure at Mount Polley Mine has provided a unique opportunity to evaluate functional and compositional diversity soon after a major catastrophic disturbance to assess metabolic potential for ecosystem recovery.

SUBMITTER: Garris HW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5918821 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Short-term microbial effects of a large-scale mine-tailing storage facility collapse on the local natural environment.

Garris Heath W HW Baldwin Susan A SA Taylor Jon J Gurr David B DB Denesiuk Daniel R DR Van Hamme Jonathan D JD Fraser Lauchlan H LH

PloS one 20180425 4

We investigated the impacts of the Mount Polley tailings impoundment failure on chemical, physical, and microbial properties of substrates within the affected watershed, comprised of 70 hectares of riparian wetlands and 40 km of stream and lake shore. We established a biomonitoring network in October of 2014, two months following the disturbance, and evaluated riparian and wetland substrates for microbial community composition and function via 16S and full metagenome sequencing. A total of 234 s ...[more]

PMID: 29694379

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Project description:The collapse of the B1 Dam of VALE SA mining company in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil was the largest humanitarian disaster and occupational accident in the country's history, and it posed challenges regarding the management and identification of multiple victims. We evaluated the impact of the iron ore tailings on the victims' bodies. We examined the scientific identification of the victims and the dynamics of the disaster over the 1st year after it occurred. We also determined the socio-demographic profiles of the victims. In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, we investigated the expert reports of the victims' biological remains from 25 January 2019 to 25 January 2020. We analysed the socio-demographic data, identification methods, identification status, identification time, and necroscopic information. During the study period, 259 of 270 victims were identified, and 603 biological materials were analysed; among them, 86.2% were body parts and 13.8% were whole bodies. Of the total cases registered that year, 476 (78.9%) were submitted during the first 10 weeks after the disaster. Friction ridge analysis accounted for 67.9% of primary identifications and DNA analysis did so for 91.6% of re-identification cases. Body dismemberment was 3.4 times greater among mine workers than among community victims. Adult males accounted for the greatest number of victims (P < 0.001). Polytraumatic injury was the prevalent single cause of death. Necropsy examination revealed the occurrence of asphyxia in 7% of cases. The higher number of fatalities and greater dismemberment among employees than with community residents underlines the occupational dangers in the mining industry and clarifies the dynamics of the disaster. In the initial weeks after the dam collapsed, friction ridge analysis was the most appropriate method for identification. Subsequently, DNA analysis became the most-used technique for identification and re-identification owing to the great volume of body parts and decomposed biological tissue. Autopsy allowed diagnosis of the causes of death to be clarified according to the Brazilian criminal legal system.

Project description:BackgroundThe Rio Doce estuary, in Brazil, was impacted by the deposition of iron mine tailings, caused by the collapse of a dam in 2015. Based on published baseline datasets, the estuary has been experiencing chronic trace metal contamination effects since 2017, with potential bioaccumulation in fishes and human health risks. As metal and metalloid concentrations in aquatic ecosystems pose severe threats to the aquatic biota, we hypothesized that the trace metals in estuarine sediments nearly two years after the disaster would lead to bioaccumulation in demersal fishes and result in the biosynthesis of metal-responsive proteins.MethodsWe measured As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Se and Zn concentrations in sediment samples in August 2017 and compared to published baseline levels. Also, trace metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Pb, Se and Zn) and protein (metallothionein and reduced glutathione) concentrations were quantified in the liver and muscle tissues of five fish species (Cathorops spixii, Genidens genidens, Eugerres brasilianus, Diapterus rhombeus and Mugil sp.) from the estuary, commonly used as food sources by local populations.ResultsOur results revealed high trace metal concentrations in estuarine sediments, when compared to published baseline values for the same estuary. The demersal fish species C. spixii and G. genidens had the highest concentrations of As, Cr, Mn, Hg, and Se in both, hepatic and muscle, tissues. Trace metal bioaccumulation in fish was correlated with the biosynthesis of metallothionein and reduced glutathione in both, liver and muscle, tissues, suggesting active physiological responses to contamination sources. The trace metal concentrations determined in fish tissues were also present in the estuarine sediments at the time of this study. Some elements had concentrations above the maximum permissible limits for human consumption in fish muscles (e.g., As, Cr, Mn, Se and Zn), suggesting potential human health risks that require further studies. Our study supports the high biogeochemical mobility of toxic elements between sediments and the bottom-dwelling biota in estuarine ecosystems.

Dataset Information

Short-term microbial effects of a large-scale mine-tailing storage facility collapse on the local natural environment.

Publications

Short-term microbial effects of a large-scale mine-tailing storage facility collapse on the local natural environment.

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