Synthetic Chemicals Used in Mining Operations: a Proposed Risk Management Framework
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Synthetic Chemicals used in Mining Operations: A Proposed Risk Management Framework A thesis submitted to Imperial College London for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Life Sciences By Khareen Alexandria Singh December 2013 Centre for Environmental Policy Imperial College London DECLARATION OF OWN WORK I declare that this thesis ‘Synthetic Chemicals used in Mining Operations: A Proposed Risk Management Framework’ is entirely my own work and has not been submitted previously for any other degree. Any material that could be understood as the work of others, it is fully cited and referenced. Name of student : Khareen Singh Name of supervisor: Nikolaos Voulvoulis Name of co-supervisor: Jane Plant Name of external Anglo American Advisor: Christopher Oates COPYRIGHT DECLARATION The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives licence. Researchers are free to copy, distribute or transmit the thesis on the condition that they attribute it, that they do not use it for commercial purposes and that they do not alter, transform or build upon it. For any reuse or redistribution, researchers must make clear to others the licence terms of this work. i This thesis is dedicated to my loving parents and my brother. ii ABSTRACT There is increasing scientific and public concern about chemicals in the environment and in particular those that pose a risk to human health. As a result, there is increasing pressure for industries to reduce risks and comply with emerging chemical legislations, such as the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). The mining industry relies heavily on the use of chemicals having a large range with a variety of hazards and exposures. Several screening and risk assessment procedures were evaluated to determine their appropriateness to the mining industry. This PhD aimed to assist the mining industry by proposing a framework that integrated hazard and exposure assessments into a numerical ranking and evaluation of individual chemicals and workspaces. This was developed by collecting and evaluating data on the hazards and exposures of chemicals across copper, platinum and coal mining operations. The hazard identification procedure showed that 9% (76 out of 850) of chemicals had ingredients that could be classified as known or suspected carcinogens, mutagens and/or reproductive toxins, laboratories on mine sites having the highest number of chemicals with severe hazardous properties (Carcinogenic, Mutagenic, Reproductive toxin (CMR) and/or fatal/and/ or very toxic to aquatic life). An exposure assessment was proposed that used onsite observations to define and tailor the exposure categories for the mining industry and to define the workspaces in terms of the exposure controls and chemical management measures. Findings demonstrated that 24% of the 850 chemicals were classified as being of potential high risk of harm, with 3% (27) prioritised for immediate management. This was validated by comparing the results with established hazard classifications. All of the workspaces investigated had insufficient safety and/or exposure controls to accommodate the hazards of the typical chemicals used. This workspace-based framework is a dynamic system that manages the chemicals in current use, but is also a wide scoping system to include measures in place for future chemicals introduced into workspaces. iii ACKNOWLEGEMENT Heavenly Father, thank you for blessing me with this wonderful opportunity to offer a contribution to the protection of your people and your world. Thank you for guiding my thoughts and actions and helping me to overcome every obstacle. Please continue to bless my family, friends, supervisors and sponsors who have supported and encouraged me on my PhD journey. Amen. This project has been fully funded by Anglo American plc, and I will be eternally grateful for this incredible opportunity to be part of this study. Thank you to all the welcoming, kind, and extremely helpful people in the mining operations I visited in South Africa and Chile, especially Neville Plint, Nathan Williams, Carla Diaz, Karin Espindola and Leonardo Meza Standen. I would like to thank my supervisors Professor Jane Plant, Dr. Nick Voulvoulis and Dr. Christopher Oates for their invaluable guidance and contributions. You have been a real inspiration. Chris, you have gone beyond the call of duty in your support and supervision and you have kept me afloat and striving for excellence. I would like to thank my all the members, past and present, of our CEP group at Imperial College: Alex, Eleni, James Bone, James Treadgold, Atun, Aida, Young, Jilang, Ho-Sik, Danelle, Claire, Guy, Maria, John, Natalia, Lena. Special thanks to Aisha and Carmina who played a huge role in motivating me and keeping me laughing and smiling on a daily basis. Thank you to my best friend Jo and my boyfriend Richard for your continuous patience, presence, jokes and encouragement. I am blessed to have you both in my life. Thank you to my Sifu Jeffrey Guishard and my fellow Sung Chuan students for your encouragement. A special mention to Jasmine, Giorgia, Neusa and Alexander who helped me focus my mind and body. A very special thanks to my friends and family who have kept me in their prayers: Feline, Grandma Sybil, Aunty Claire, Sister Beryl, Jacquie, Phyllis, Crystal, Wendy, Tony and Reverend Helen. It really means a lot to me. My brother Alec and my sister-in-law, Anoushka, thank you so much for believing in my ability and for being so supportive. Alec, you have always been the initiator of every success in my life so far. Finally and most importantly, I would like to extend my extreme gratitude to my wonderful parents, Cynthia and Owen Singh. Your love, support, patience, prayers, motivation and positivity have been unwavering through laughter and tears. You are my precious treasures I love you both very much. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................................2 2.1 MINING ...........................................................................................................................................................2 2.2 CHEMICALS .......................................................................................................................................................3 2.2.1 Chemicals in Industry .............................................................................................................................3 2.2.2 Chemicals in Mining ...............................................................................................................................5 2.3 CURRENT REGULATIONS ON CHEMICALS .................................................................................................................7 2.3.1 United Nations .......................................................................................................................................7 2.3.2 United States of America .......................................................................................................................8 2.3.3 Canada ...................................................................................................................................................9 2.3.4 Australia ...............................................................................................................................................10 2.3.5 Chile .....................................................................................................................................................10 2.3.6 Europe ..................................................................................................................................................11 2.4 CHEMICAL RISK ASSESSMENT .............................................................................................................................12 CHAPTER 3: AIM AND OBJECTIVES.......................................................................................................................15 3.1 AIM ...............................................................................................................................................................15 3.2 OBJECTIVES .....................................................................................................................................................15 3.3 OUTLINE OF THESIS ..........................................................................................................................................16 3.4 NOVELTY, ORIGINALITY AND CONTRIBUTION TO SCIENCE .........................................................................................18 3.5 PAPERS PRODUCED...........................................................................................................................................20 CHAPTER 4: DEVELOPING A SCREENING METHOD FOR THE EVALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN HEALTH RISKS OF SYNTHETIC CHEMICALS IN THE MINING INDUSTRY .....................................21 4.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................21