title: Study on association between spatial distribution of metal mines and disease mortality: a case study in Suxian District, South China.
abstract: Metal mines release toxic substances into the environment and can therefore negatively impact the health of residents in nearby regions. This paper sought to investigate whether there was excess disease mortality in populations in the vicinity of the mining area in Suxian District, South China. The spatial distribution of metal mining and related activities from 1985 to 2012, which was derived from remote sensing imagery, was overlapped with disease mortality data. Three hotspot areas with high disease mortality were identified around the Shizhuyuan mine sites, i.e., the Dengjiatang metal smelting sites, and the Xianxichong mine sites. Disease mortality decreased with the distance to the mining and smelting areas. Population exposure to pollution was estimated on the basis of distance from town of residence to pollution source. The risk of dying according to disease mortality rates was analyzed within 7-25 km buffers. The results suggested that there was a close relationship between the risk of disease mortality and proximity to the Suxian District mining industries. These associations were dependent on the type and scale of mining activities, the area influenced by mining and so on.
authors.affiliation: College of Resource and Environmental Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, 6 Weigang Road, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210095, China. zhuangdf@lreis.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Daping
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yaohuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Dafang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhuang
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D003710:Demography; D017753:Ecosystem; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D008670:Metals; D008906:Mining; D009026:Mortality; D058998:Remote Sensing Technology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008670:Metals