Experts present new studies

Feb 27, 2010 12:07 GMT  ·  By

According to a recent scientific investigation, it would appear that mountaintop mining exploitations, which basically blow the top off mountains in search for precious chemicals, cause tremendous damage on the environment. In addition, they also pose considerable health risks to the populations living in their immediate vicinity, ScienceDaily reports. The conclusion belongs to a new research by experts at the Wake Forest University, who will present their conclusions to a group of US Senators this month. Selenium pollution was found to be the most harmful, causing massive damage to fish and triggering a surge in the number of deaths for these aquatic vertebrates.

The investigation shows that this type of pollution is causing permanent damage, and that the health risks associated with contaminating water resources are considerable. The team focused on selenium because this chemical affects fish first, and also because it provides a clear indicator as to how polluted the waters in the study are. According to WFU research professor of biology Dennis Lemly, the lead author of the new study, mountaintop removal mining operations should be prohibited, so as to avoid massive effects in humans, plants and animals living downstream from these exploitations.

“We're killing fish right now with selenium pollution from mountaintop removal mining. Toxic levels of selenium were found in 73 of 78 stream samples. The threat is expanding as use of this destructive process expands. Once these ecosystems are polluted, damage to the environment is permanent,” the expert writes in the study. “I specialize in fish, but that is only one part of the overall picture. Public health is also an issue with mountaintop removal mining. Once in the aquatic environment, waterborne selenium can enter the food chain and reach levels that are toxic to fish and wildlife,” he adds further.

The work was focused on the Mud River Reservoir, which is located in West Virginia. The research demonstrated that between 50 and 60 percent of all young fish exhibited severe deformations due to prolonged exposure to elevated selenium concentrations. The team learned that these levels were two times higher than what is generally considered to be safe for human consumption. The chemical is also very dangerous because it acts primarily on the reproductive system, causing either failure, or birth defects.