Probabilistic Simulation and Sensitivity of Health Risks from Nickel and Cobalt Deposition Around the Mine

Abstract

Background: Mining activities can produce large amounts of heavy metals that are discharged uncontrollably, causing widespread ecosystem pollution. Heavy metal pollution is a serious problem, as heavy metals are toxic and non-degradable, polluting air, water and soil. Although some heavy metals are considered essential for normal physiological functions, concentrations that exceed the prescribed limits can have negative impacts on human health and biota. Exposure to heavy metals can cause toxicity to various tissues, organs and systems such as circulatory, respiratory, endocrine, immune, nervous, urinary and reproductive systems. Due to the differences in toxicity of heavy metals, risk assessment is very important in environmental management. Objective: To describe the probabilistic simulation and sensitivity of health risks due to Nickel and Cobalt deposition around the mine using monte carlo simulation. Methods: The method used in this study was literature review. Data collection was done through searching online databases such as: Pubmed and Science Direct. The keywords used in the article search were "Heavy Metal Toxicity", "Heavy Metal Effects", "Heavy metal risk analysis" and "Monte Carlo Simulation". Inclusion criteria were quantitative or qualitative research, target population was heavy metals Nickel and Cobalt, published in the last 10 years (2013-2023) articles in English and articles in original, fulltext and open access. Exclusion criteria are articles that are not relevant to the topic of discussion. Results: 14 articles were found, of which 3 articles on diseases or health problems caused by nickel, 3 articles on nickel risk analysis, 5 articles on diseases or health problems caused by cobalt, 3 articles on cobalt risk analysis. Conclusion: The environment around the mine shows a high level of toxicity, caused by the presence of heavy metals. This can result in serious environmental pollution and pose a great threat to human health. Chronic exposure to heavy metals can cause various health problems, such as mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, teratogenesis, deformation and organ damage.