The derelict Remance gold mine is a possible source of pollution with potentially toxic elements (PTEs). In the study area, diverse mine waste has been left behind and exposed to weather conditions, and poses risks for soil, plants and water bodies, and also for the health of local inhabitants. This study sought to perform an ecological and health risk assessment of derelict gold mining areas with incomplete remediation, including: (i) characterizing the geochemical distribution of PTEs; (ii) assessing ecological risk by estimating the pollution load index (PLI) and potential ecological risk index (RI); (iii) assessing soil health by dehydrogenase activity; and iv) establishing non-carcinogenic (HI) and carcinogenic risks (CR) for local inhabitants. Soil health seems to depend on not only PTE concentrations, but also on organic matter (OM). Both indexes (PLI and RI) ranged from high to extreme near mining and waste accumulation sites. As indicated by both the HI and CR results, the mining area poses a health risk for local inhabitants and particularly for children. For this reason, it will be necessary to set up environmental management programs in the areas that are most affected (tailings and surrounding areas) and accordingly establish the best remediation strategies to minimize risks for the local population.

La piña es el segundo cultivo perenne tropical con más importancia a nivel mundial después del banano, aportando más del 20% del volumen total mundial de frutos tropicales. La calidad de la piña panameña es del deleite nacional y de mercados internacionales como Europa y Estados Unidos, siendo La Chorrera el mayor productor de piña del país. El objetivo de este estudio es realizar un muestreo geoquímico aplicado a labores agrícolas, con el fin de generar mapas geoquímicos de pH y conductividad eléctrica que sean de utilidad a la producción de piña de la finca en estudio. El muestreo se realizó con una malla irregular de 13 puntos de muestras de suelo, y 2 muestras de sedimentos de los cuerpos de agua cercanos. Se tomaron muestras de suelo a 15 cm de profundidad, y se midió el pH y conductividad eléctrica. En todo el perímetro de la finca los valores de pH del suelo fueron ácidos, siendo el mínimo 4.25 y el máximo 5.09. Se observó que las zonas con mayor conductividad eléctrica fueron los sedimentos de los cuerpos de agua, mientras que las zonas de producción agrícola estuvieron en un rango de 21 a 107 µS/cm. Concluyendo así que la zona se ve afectada por fenómenos como la erosión y el transporte de sedimentos hacia los cuerpos de agua, lo cual guarda relación directa con el relieve de la zona de estudio, y podría indicar también como se realiza el arrastre de los nutrientes aplicados al cultivo de piña.

The El Valle Volcanic Complex, located in the province of Cocle, Panama, presents geological characteristics that could be linked to public health problems. This study focuses on the municipalities of San Juan de Dios, Pajonal, and Caballero, where water is consumed directly from springs (groundwater outcrops). The region has a high incidence of non-traditional chronic kidney disease (nt-CKD) that may be associated with the natural presence of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the water. This study aimed to analyze the concentration of PTEs in groundwater and assess the carcinogenic (CR) and non-carcinogenic (HQ) risk to human health from the direct ingestion of water. Sediments, rocks, and water samples were collected. Major ions and PTEs (As, Al, Ba, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Sr, Sb, Pb, V, and Zn) were measured, and the mineralogical composition of the rocks was analyzed. The results showed that Fe was the only PTE that exceeded the recommended concentration for drinking water, according to Panama regulations, and Pb according to USEPA. In Caballero and Pajonal, the acceptable threshold for CR and HQ was exceeded, a higher percentage than in San Juan de Dios. The PTEs that contribute most to the risk are Co, Cu, Pb, and As. This study suggests that the region’s historical volcanic activity, involving the release of minerals rich in these PTEs, along with the interaction between groundwater and volcanic rocks, may be contributing to the presence of PTEs in the water. This geological phenomenon could be what has led to prolonged exposure to these elements, which correlates with the high prevalence of chronic kidney disease in the area. This is a novel study, the first conducted in Panama, as it seeks to uncover the relationship between the geology of the site, the presence of PTEs in the groundwater of springs for human consumption, and the implication of health risks, with the aim of generating new information for decision makers for the generation of public policies on health issues such as nt-CKD and cancer in the region.

The Remance gold mine, in Veraguas (central Panama), had its last mining operation in 1999, using the cyanidation process for Au separation. As a result of this activity, three waste tailings were exposed to the weather, in addition to mine dumps and the open pit mining areas. Currently the area is inhabited by peasants who develop subsistence agriculture and livestock. Therefore, the objective of this study has been to evaluate the environmental and human health risks that this area represents. The total concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) such as As, Cu, Zn, Ba, Sb and Hg were determined in mining process areas, surrounding soils and edible and inedible plants in the area; in addition to the cyanide species and the enzymatic activity by dehydrogenase (DHA) in soils. The accumulated contamination index (PLI) and potential ecological risk (RI) were calculated, the carcinogenic (CR) and non-carcinogenic (HQ) risk to human health represented by soils and edible plants was estimated.Regarding the degree of contamination, it is observed that the contamination is considerable in the tailings and the sediments of the pithead, and it spreads to the surroundings mainly in the sediments of the streams and their terraces, and, to a lesser degree, to the soils around it, showing that the main route of dissemination is through runoff; the same trend is followed by the potential ecological risk, being extreme in the sediments of the pithead, serious in the tailings and terrace sediments, high in the stream sediments and medium in the surrounding soils. The enzymatic activity by DHA tells us that the health of the surrounding soils is better than that of the stream sediments and terrace sediments, but less than in other sites affected by mining activity in Spain. Cyanide species are linked to DHA and this in turn is favoured by organic matter (OM). On the other hand, it was observed that cyanide elutes from the tailing’s piles in a complex cyanide way, favouring the transport of PTEs associated with it to the stream sediments.Regarding the risks to human health in soils, As and Cu concentrations exceed the limits for non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk in both children and adults, with the residential scenario being the worst scenario, and for adults also the agricultural scenario. In edible plants such as rice, corn, cassava and tea leaves, Sb exceeds the limit for non-carcinogenic risk, and Cu and As for carcinogenic risk. Due to the potential ecological and human health risks that the area represents, actions must be taken to reduce them.Keywords: potentially toxic elements (PTEs), gold mine, risk assessment, edible plants, human health.

Este estudio presenta una metodología adaptativa para la planificación y ejecución de levantamientos geológicos extensivos en la Región Central de Panamá, desarrollada en el marco del proyecto Descripción Petrográfica de la Región Central de Panamá. La propuesta integra herramientas de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG), fotointerpretación satelital y segmentación territorial mediante polígonos de Thiessen con el objetivo de optimizar la selección de sitios de muestreo y mejorar la cobertura espacial en áreas con heterogeneidad litológica y variabilidad en accesibilidad. La identificación preliminar de puntos se realizó mediante revisión bibliográfica, cartografía base y análisis de imágenes satelitales, lo que permitió depurar una red inicial de afloramientos potenciales. La segmentación territorial derivada de los polígonos de Thiessen facilitó la organización logística en siete zonas de muestreo equilibradas. Durante 21 días efectivos de campaña se documentaron 208 sitios distribuidos en 27 distritos y se recolectaron 229 muestras de roca, siguiendo un protocolo estandarizado que incluyó registro estructural, descripción macroscópica y documentación fotográfica. Los resultados demuestran que la planificación previa basada en SIG mejora la eficiencia operativa y la representatividad litológica, constituyendo una alternativa viable para estudios en regiones con accesibilidad limitada o cartografía desactualizada. La metodología propuesta es reproducible, de bajo costo relativo y aplicable en contextos académicos, institucionales y de investigación, contribuyendo al fortalecimiento de futuras iniciativas de caracterización geológica en Panamá.