Abstract La Soufrière, St Vincent, began an extrusive eruption on 27 December 2020. The lava dome was destroyed, along with much of the pre-existing 1979 dome, in explosive eruptions from 9 to 22 April 2021. Lava domes generate crystalline silica – inhalation of which can cause silicosis in occupational settings – which can become hazardous when dome material is incorporated into volcanic ash. La Soufrière ash (17 samples) was analysed, according to IVHHN protocols, to rapidly quantify crystalline silica and test for other health-relevant properties. The basaltic andesitic ash contained <5 wt% crystalline silica, which agrees with previous analyses of ash of similar compositions and mirrors the low quantities measured in dome samples (2 area %). It contained substantial inhalable material (7–21 vol% <10 µm). Few fibre-like particles were observed, reducing concern about particle shape. Leaching assays found low concentrations of potentially toxic elements, which indicates low potential to impact health, contaminate drinking-water sources or harm grazing animals through ingestion. Collectively, these data indicate that the primary health concern from this eruption was the potential for fine-grained ash to increase ambient particulate matter, an environmental risk factor for respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Precautionary measures were advised to minimize exposure.

Abstract The exploitation of mineral resources through surface and underground mining has in the past caused a wide range of environmental problems such as health degradation, air, water and noise pollution, decline in agricultural production, deforestation, displacement and other socio-economic impacts. However, over the past number of years, stakeholders in the industry have been striving to avoid and mitigate the potential detrimental effects of mining on fragile ecosystems and local communities. Governments are increasingly formulating and adopting policies to ensure the sustainable development of their country’s mining industry and mining companies are striving to be better environmental citizens. Environmental groups have become increasingly involved in mining disputes. However, a lot has to be achieved to ensure mining in carried out in a sustainable way. This paper concentrates on the environmental effects of coal mining in the Ib valley coalfield of Orissa, India. Background to the increasing awareness of the environmental issues associated with mining is provided in the first section of this paper. The second section discusses the general problems associated with mining, with particular reference to the Ib valley coalfield. In addition, measures undertaken by the companies operating the Ib valley coalfield to deal with environmental problems are presented.

Abstract Over time, attention to health effects induced by inorganic fibres has increased, resulting not only from non-occupational exposure to asbestos ( i.e . environmental, either natural or anthropogenic), but also of exposure to non-asbestos inorganic fibres. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified all forms of asbestos (chrysotile, crocidolite, amosite, tremolite, actinolite and anthophyllite) as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1). The most effective source of information on the health effects of environmental contaminants in humans would be humans themselves as research subjects. Obviously, for ethical and other reasons this is rarely possible. Carcinogen bioassays, such as the ones performed by the Ramazzini Institute (RI), are currently the most predictive non-human model for studying the carcinogenicity of a substance. An alternative method for exposure assessment consists of using a non-experimental animal model represented by populations of animal sentinel systems (ASS). Even if at present there are relatively few studies in this field, the presence of fibres in samples of lung tissue of these animals shows that it is possible to use ASS as indicators of environmental background exposure. However, caution must be taken in extrapolating results from ASS and considering them in terms of human health. The physical mechanisms rather than chemical reaction between inorganic fibres and cells are still unclear. Joint research conducted by a team of biologists and mineralogists in order to investigate the mechanisms of action of the fibres in biological tissues of rodents in vivo have been undertaken by the Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in collaboration with the Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Centre of the Ramazzini Institute CMCRC/RI. When planned for precise purposes with attention to the key, general, and specific requisites, and when conducted by standardized methods, experimental studies represent an important tool capable of providing useful information and reducing the uncertainties in terms of risk assessment.