Mining Effluent Regulations

Payne JF, French B, Hamoutene D, Yeats P, Rahimtuia a, Sceuton D and Andeews C (2001) Are metal mining effluent regulations adequate identification of a novel bleached fish syndrome in association with iron-ore mining effluents in Labrador, Newfoundland. Aqua Toxicol 52 311-317. 

Serotonin levels are regulated by monoamine oxidase (MAO), which is the main elimination pathway for monoamines such as dopamine, serotonin, octopa-mine and noradrenaline. The MAO activity could be induced by a variety of secondary amines in the environment and could likely modulate serotonin levels in nerve tissues and perhaps sex differentiation. For example, MAO activity in the nerve ganglia and gonad was shown to be induced with a concomitant decrease in serotonin and dopamine in mussels exposed for 90 days, 10 km downstream from a primary-treated municipal effluent plume (Gagne and Blaise, 2003). In contrast, scallop MAO activity was shown to be repressed by pharmaceuticals such as the type A and B inhibitors deprenyl, pargyline and clorgyline (Pani and Croll, 1998). 

Prior to 1972, water quality regulations were limited to point sources. A point source is a single source, such as a commercial facility or municipal wastewater treatment, that discharges effluent directly into a waterway. With the CWA, water quality was expanded to encompass nonpoint sources. Nonpoint sources often associated with waste from runoff (agricultural, mine tailings, etc.) are those contaminant sources whose origin cannot be identified. 

Production, Use, Release, and Disposal. The production of radon occurs directly from a radium source either in the environment or in a laboratory environment. The disposal of gaseous radioactive effluents has been documented. Increased radon concentrations have been detected in waste generated by uranium and phosphate mining therefore, these sites should be monitored on a continual basis. Although there are regulations for disposal of radionuclides in general, there are none that specifically address disposal of radon contaminated materials. Further research on the disposal of radon attached to charcoal, which is used in radon monitoring indoors, would be beneficial. 

In many countries (including the United States), regulations require mine operators to comply with specific limitations relating to effluents. In order to meet these lequiranents, the following treatments are typically anployed (1) addition of alkaline material, such as Ume or sodium hydroxide, (2) natural or mechanical aeration, and (3) settling. When the pH is raised to 7 or 8 and settling has occurred, most drainage waters will meet the standards for iron content and suspended solids. 

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