Mining and health of indigenous people Flashcards
when did Indigenous people arrive in lake superior, Ontario?
10,000 years ago
what metal did Indigenous people dig for
Copper
why did Indigenous people hunt for copper
- pounding, heating and crafting
- jewellery, tools, weapons
Ancient workshop name and year used
Cahokia, 800 AD to 1400 AD
What other artifacts have been found here
gold, silver, arsenic bronze
what happens when copper bearing rocks are exposed to surface
conifer trees can concentrate (up to 700ppm) in tissues above soil
What does wild rice do
Concentrates copper in its seeds (5.3) , stems (1.4) and roots(4.8)
What marine animals have high levels of copper
mollusks, fish and worms from lake superior
overload affects fish gill function
what is lethal concentration of copper for fish
1mg/L
2 food staples of Indigenous people
Fish and wild rice
What is copper
micronutrient and a toxin
what is the adult human concentration of copper?
1.4-2.1 mg Cu/kg
effects of excessive copper
liver cirrhosis
kidney ncerosis
gastrointestinal lesions
low blood pressure
fetal mortality
Can excess copper be secrets through body? HOW?
YES
1. expulsion via cellular copper pumping
2. binding copper to sulfhydryl groups
- when cells bind to copper for step 2, they unfulfill their own intended function. Leads to mood swings, irritation, depression. Misdiagnosed as psychiatric disorders.
How can copper toxicity occur
acidic foods cooked on uncoated copper cookware
excess copper in water or food sources
Indian childhood cirrhosis
boiling milk in copper cookware in ontario and quebec
genetic cause for disease
mutation with autosomal recessive inheritance which rules out copper toxicity
What poisoning occured in Navajo Nation , US?
Uranium
why was uranium blasted out of Navajo land?
To make atomic weapons between 1944 and 1986
how many mines were abandoned due to cold war threat
521 mines
health risks imposed on people there
kidney failture
lung cancer
uranium contamination
Who failed to tell Navajo people of the dangers,
United States atomic energy comission
what happened after as compensation?
the state didn’t recognize radon illness officially
they couldn’t get compensations initially
succeeded in 1990
Where was the tailings pond breach
churchill rock uranium mill in new mexico, 1979
What happened at the tailings Pond breach
- more than 1000 tons of radioactive waste
-93 million gallons of acidic radioactive solution
which river did the tailings pond breach pour into
Puerco river
what did contaminating Puerco River do
contaminated drinking water of Navajo nation
LARGEST RADIOACTIVE ACCIDENT IN US HISTORY
What was state response to church rock disaster
- English notification sent only
- complained of burning feet and misdiagnosed with heat stroke
- they wanted to declare it as disaster area but governor refused
What were the clean up efforts
- government has prioritized 46 mines in Navajo
- they have been clearing the mines, now done 9
