Unsafe Chromium and its Environmental Health Effects of Orissa Chromite Mines

Orissa accounts for 95 percent of the chromium ore reserves of India. It increases the economic status, but adversely reduces the ecological cover. Chromite mines generate considerable quantity of pollutants containing toxic hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen, which contaminates 10 to 4000 mg/kg (ppm) of total chromium in air, water and soil environment. Surface water and ground water in Sukinda region contain hexavent chromium Cr(VI), well above the permissible limits of 0.05 mg/l (ppm). There are clusters of chromite mines release considerable quantity of effluents and slurries, as well as the over burden stockpiles as hazardous wastes. These are discharged into various tributaries of the Brahmani river. Suspended and respirable particulate matter were found well above the prescribed limit of 100 μg/m 3 . Chromium based diseases among the workers have been found which could be a result of the intake of excessive Cr(VI). Chromite mine workers, who were constantly exposed to contaminated dust and water, report gastrointestinal bleeding, tuberculosis and asthma besides incidence of infertility, birth defects and still births. They suffer from chromium based diseases such as chromium poisoning, ulcer, allergic dermatitis, lung cancer, lever necrosis, brain damage, premature death, lever and kidney problems. It is important that these mines have to initiate regulatory measures to control this unsafe chromium pollution. It is required to get treated this mine water using chromium effluent treatment plants (CETP) as well as to get evolved preventive and control strategies at the planning stages itself as prevention is better than cure, very little or nothing can be done if the toxic chromium reaches the air, water and soil environment. It has been observed that the management of chromite mines have not implemented the worker’s compensation law and occupational diseases law. As per the present research work conducted, it has been proved that approximately 80 percent of mining disasters are preventable provided that these laws get enforced efficiently. It is necessary that the mine workers must follow adequate safety compliances. The present study has been done to present the research investigations pertaining to environmental health effects of Orissa chromite mines.