The objective of this study is to investigate the contamination levels of toxic elements (TEs) in the vicinity of the small-scale mining Boroo area, Mongolia. Samples of surface soil, ground water and human hair were collected around the gold washing or milling places, grassland and village areas. After appropriate preparation, all samples were analyzed for major and toxic elements (TEs) by Particle-Induced X-ray Emission Spectrometry (PIXE). Soil texture, conductivity (EC), pH, total organic carbon (TC) and nitrogen (TN) contents were also measured. The enrichment factor (EF) was estimated to assess the level of the contamination and the possible anthropogenic impact in soils from the mining activity. The EFsoil for Cu, As and Pb were in the highest values around gold washing place, indicating that around mining area surface soils were highly enriched by those elements. The Mn, Fe and Ni concentrations of drinking waters exceed the WHO values. The mean concentrations of Ca, Ti, As and Sr were higher in hair of Mongolian miners than in the hair of normal people in Japan, Mongolia and Philippines. These results indicate that the area around gold washing or milling could be the main contamination sources of As and other toxic elements (TEs) in the surface soil samples. 1. Introduction Small-scale mining (artisanal) with metallic mercury is practiced in many developing countries of the world. Small-scale mining is one of the most important sources of toxic elements (TEs) in the environment. Mining generally releases toxic elements such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg). The adverse effects of mining activity on the environment as well as human health have been observed in many countries [1–4]. Environmental pollution with TE originated by mines can become an important source of contamination both in soil and water [5–8]. Also the TEs contamination of soils and surface water or groundwater represents a great threat to human health due to its high potential to enter into the food chain. Human scalp hair has been used as an alternative biological material for blood and urine in biomonitoring environmental and occupational exposures of various pollutants (papers), since its sampling is considered less invasive, more convenient to store and transport, and less hazardous to handle. In Mongolia, small-scale mining started in 1998 with few small-scale miners, but the number has increased rapidly. The miners in these areas are almost rural people, who had lost their livestock and harvest during the winter and summer by a natural
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