Evaluation of human exposure to arsenic due to rice ingestion in the vicinity of abandoned Myungbong Au–Ag mine site, Korea

In order to assess the risk of adverse health effects on human exposure to arsenic (As) influenced by past mining activities an environmental geochemical survey was undertaken in the abandoned Myungbong gold–silver (Au–Ag) mine area. Elevated levels of As were found in tailings from the studied mine area. This high concentrations may impact on agricultural soils and waters around the tailing piles. The resulting human health risks to farmers who inhabit the surrounding areas due to consumption of rice grown on contaminated soils are summarized as follows: (1) The non-cancer health hazard index showed that the toxic risk due to As was 7.8 times greater than the reference dose. (2) The increased cancer risk of As for exposed individuals through the rice consumption pathway was 1 in 1 000, exceeding the acceptable risk of 1 in 10,000 set for regulatory purposes. Thus, the daily intake of rice by the local residents from the Myungbong mine area can pose a potential health threat due to long-term As exposure.