Environmental and Public Health Impacts of Mining Tailings in Chañaral, Chile: A Narrative Case-Based Review

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dc.article.number7732
dc.catalogadorgjm
dc.contributor.authorCortés Arancibia, Sandra
dc.contributor.authorGonzález, Pablo
dc.contributor.authorLeiva Cisternas, Cinthya Aracely
dc.contributor.authorVargas, Yendry
dc.contributor.authorVega Contreras, Alejandra Soledad
dc.contributor.authorPastén González, Pablo Arturo
dc.date.accessioned2025-09-05T15:01:53Z
dc.date.available2025-09-05T15:01:53Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstractThis narrative case-based review describes the environmental and public health impacts in Chañaral, a town in northern Chile affected by the accumulation of copper mining tailings for the past 80 years. The review included 34 scientific articles published between 1978 and 2025. The keywords used were “mining tailings” and “Chañaral”, without year limits, and covering disciplines such as ecology, public health, environmental history, and territorial studies. The scientific evidence demonstrates the negative impacts on the ecosystem and the human population exposed to toxic metals and arsenic. Geomorphological and biogeochemical alterations have been found on the Chañaral coast, affecting marine biodiversity and water quality. In addition, epidemiological studies indicate exposure to toxic metals measured in street dust and urine, raising concerns on respiratory health in children and metabolic conditions in adults. According to the social sciences, the lack of environmental monitoring and human exposure data contributes to the high health risk perception in the population, posing the need to strengthen environmental monitoring, raise awareness on the risks of exposure to toxic metals, and promote mitigation and restoration strategies. These measures will contribute to sustainable conditions for the Chañaral community through the improvement of comprehensive public policies.
dc.fechaingreso.objetodigital2025-09-04
dc.format.extent19 páginas
dc.fuente.origenORCID
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/su17177732
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.3390/su17177732
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorio.uc.cl/handle/11534/105558
dc.information.autorucEscuela de Ingeniería; Pasten Gonzalez, Pablo Arturo; 0000-0002-9961-9342; 87432
dc.issue.numero17
dc.language.isoen
dc.nota.accesocontenido completo
dc.revistaSustainability
dc.rightsacceso abierto
dc.rights.licenseCC BY 4.0 Attribution 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectChañaral
dc.subjectChile
dc.subjectMining tailings
dc.subjectToxic metals
dc.subjectBiochemical disruption
dc.subjectPublic health
dc.subject.ddc610
dc.subject.deweyMedicina y saludes_ES
dc.subject.ods06 Clean water and sanitation
dc.subject.odspa06 Agua limpia y saneamiento
dc.titleEnvironmental and Public Health Impacts of Mining Tailings in Chañaral, Chile: A Narrative Case-Based Review
dc.typeartículo
dc.volumen17
sipa.codpersvinculados87432
sipa.trazabilidadORCID;2025-09-01
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