The collaboration between UQ and the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the Foundation for Research Support of the State of Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) will take a holistic approach to generate data to provide comprehensive environmental and human health risk assessments in mining areas.

Project leader Associate Professor Massimo Gasparon from UQ's School of Earth Sciences said that the project would simultaneously assess water, soil, and air quality in the areas under investigation.

“In the recent past, environmental investigations in mining areas have focused on water and soil quality, and guidelines for environmental and human health risk assessment have been developed for these areas," said Gasparon.

“It is becoming increasingly obvious that air quality can also be severely impacted by large-scale mining activities, and there is significant uncertainty over what should be monitored, what guidelines should be applied and how to actually assess exposure.

“The data generated from this project will be integrated with existing soil and water quality guidelines to produce a comprehensive environmental and human health risk assessment.

“Mining companies around the world will benefit from this research as it will provide the tools and methodology for assessing the effectiveness of their existing environmental management programs, particularly with regards to their water management and dust emission monitoring and control.

“This will allow them to develop and implement strategies that will ultimately lead to a reduction in their environmental management costs, and a better and healthier environment for their own workforce and for the general public."

The project has been funded by the Brazilian Government's Science Without Borders Program as part of a Special Visiting Researchers Scholarship awarded to Gasparon for his comprehensive research collaborations in the State of Minas Gerais.

As part of the UQ's commitment to the UQ-Brazil relationship, UQ Vice-Chancellor Peter Hoj will visit Brazil in May to meet key partners, including UFMG and FAPEMIG, to broaden and deepen collaborations in a range of priority areas.