The effect of open-pit bauxite mining on beach sediment contamination in the urban coastal environment of Kuantan City, Malaysia, was investigated. The contents of 11 heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Al, Mn, Cu, Zn, Fe, As, Ni, Cr, and Ag) in 30 samples from Kuantan beach sediment zones (supratidal, intertidal, and subtidal) were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry followed by contamination indexes, Pearson's correlation analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA). The results indicated that Cd, As, Ni, and Ag values in beach sediment zones were significantly higher compared to background values. Contamination indexes suggest that Cd, As, Ni, and Ag were highly contaminated, and moderate to extremely enriched near the Kuantan Port. However, these heavy metal concentrations are lower compared to previous studies in the region. Sediment quality guidelines highlighted the occasional presence of Cd and Ag. Based on Pearson's correlation analysis, PCA, and cluster analysis, sources of these heavy metals in beach sediments were likely from agricultural runoff, uncontrolled industrial and residential discharge, and unprotected mine waste near the Kuantan Port. Furthermore, effective management of mining practices and ongoing monitoring are essential to reduce contamination risks.
Bauxite is an ore from which Aluminium is produced. Malaysia, once the leading producer of bauxite has reduced production as mining activity has caused community outrage. Due to concerns about health concerns, rising pollution and environmental hazards, the government has revoked the licenses of bauxite miners. We therefore did a meta-analysis to assess the relationship between exposure to Bauxite and Alumina with incidence of various types of cancers. Bauxite mines and alumina refineries. Individuals of all ages exposed to Bauxite and Alumina. Exposure to bauxite and alumina. Incidence due to overall cancers and specific types of cancers. Exposure to bauxite and alumina did not cause variations in incidence of overall cancer and specific types of cancer such as cancer of lip, cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx, cancer of digestive organs and others. We conclude that there is no evidence that bauxite or alumina exposure cause increase incidence of cancer but due to the small number of studies included in this review, we recommend more cohort studies to be done in future.
Recent bauxite mining activities in the vicinity of Kuantan, Pahang, have been associated with apparent environmental quality degradation and have raised environmental concerns among the public. This study was carried out to evaluate the overall ecological impacts on water and sediment quality from the bauxite mining activities. Water and sediment samples were collected at seven sampling locations within the bauxite mining areas between June and December 2015. The water samples were analyzed for water quality index (WQI) and distribution of major and trace element geochemistry. Sediment samples were evaluated based on geochemical indices, i.e., the enrichment factor (EF) and geoaccumulation index (I geo). Potential ecological risk index was estimated to assess the degree to which sediments of the mine-impacted areas have been contaminated with heavy metals. The results showed that WQIs of some locations were classified as slightly polluted and contained metal contents exceeding the recommended guideline values. The EFs indicated minimal to moderate enrichment of metals (Pb, Cu, Zn, Mn, As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Co, and Sr) in the sediments. I geo showed slightly to partially polluted sediments with respect to As at some locations. The potential ecological risk index (RI) showed that As posed the highest potential ecological risk with RI of 52.35-60.92 at two locations, while other locations indicated low risk. The findings from this study have demonstrated the impact of recent bauxite mining activities, which might be of importance to the local communities and relevant authorities to initiate immediate rehabilitation phase of the impacted area.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the mechanical properties and glass transition temperature (Tg) of a denture base material prepared from high molecular weight poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) and alumina (Al2O3). The glass transition temperature was studied by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The effect of powder-to-liquid ratio was investigated. The result showed that the tensile properties and the Tg were slightly effected by the powder-to-liquid ratio. The ratio of 2.2:1 by weight of powder to liquid was found to be the best ratio for mixing the material to give the best result in this formulation.