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Environmental Contamination in Cambodia

Khley Cheng, Tom Murphy and David Ford

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Cambodia

- Populations around 15 millions- Area 181,035 Km2

- Water 2.5%

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Some problems to destroy environment

• Water quality and management issues• Solid waste • Air pollution• Deforestation• Landmine • Pesticides• Mining

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Pollution

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Pollution

Hand-held XRF – Thermo Fisher Loan-analysis in ~1 minute-no extraction or other preparation of sample-detects ppm concentrations of many metals-non destructive-no cross contamination or fouling of sensor

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Climate change is producing weather that is-wetter-hotter

-more unstable

One of the countries most sensitive to climate change-85% is rural and dependent on simple agriculture

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Cambodia Arsenic Poisoning First Obvious in 2006

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Irrigating with 500 µg/L of arsenic

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Traditional Medicines

-Collaborate with Ministry of Health-Concern about lead, mercury and arsenic additives-documented by US-CDC in Chinese, Thai and Indian “medicines” up to 10%

Hg-Warn people, suppress use, and if possible measure blood-Pb and urine-Hg in

users of these products to document toxicity

CamcontrolPerkin-Elmer Direct Hg Analyser

• -Hg in fish – have >200 samples collected by RUPP (Vittoria Elliott) for DNA bar coding

• Support Camcontrol with XRF analysis on extremely contaminated products: skin whitening creams, mine tailings, etc

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Mercury in Cambodia - Camcontrol

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Hydropower Reservoirs

-potential 30,000 MW for hydropower projects in Lower Mekong Basin

-China has planned 15,550 MW on Mekong River by 2016.

-oil pricing pushing development

-arsenic geochemistry?

-flood control required, irrigation, fisheries?

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Mercury in Cambodia -need a network of agencies

• Eventually fish advisories likely required• -how long will reservoir in tropics remain

contaminated?

Mercury in Consumer Products

• -33% of samples from beauty shops exceeded guidelines

Murphy, T.P., S. Lim, S.P. Huong, K. Irvine, S. Bayen, B, Kelly and K. Wilson. 2012. Application of Handheld X-Ray Fluorescence Analyzers to Identify Mercury in Skin Whitening Creams in Cambodia. J Health Pollut. 3:21-31

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50 km from mine fish had mean of 149 ppb of mercury (n=19)

-6 predator fish >200 ppb

Kratie – 1.5 kg/week Lumphat 1.0 kg/wk

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Global Increase in Mercury now Driven by Asia

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Jewelry-commonly contaminated with Pb

Found clasps with >40% Pb-ingestion has killed child in USA-chronic toxicity more common

Lead Amulets common in SE Asia

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Aluminum extraction from bauxite in Mondul Kiri, Kratie and other provinces

Fish Anemia Study -Some fish have > iron than beef and could be used to

treat anemia.-so far <30 species processed for [Fe]