Understanding exposure risk using soil testing and GIS around an abandoned asbestos mine

Our plain-English summary of Understanding exposure risk using soil testing and GIS around an abandoned asbestos mine, by A.V. Jadhav, N. Gawde, R. Veerappan, et al (Annals of Global Health, 2025).

The study

• Authors: A.V. Jadhav, N. Gawde, R. Veerappan, Y. Choi, A.L. Frank
• Journal: Annals of Global Health
• Published: 2025;91(1):2
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Background: Abandoned asbestos mines are a potential source of environmental contamination and exposure for nearby residents. The asbestos exposure risk may persist even after the cessation of mining activity if the mine is not properly closed. One such abandoned mine is at Roro Hills in the Jharkhand state of India. There are limited studies examining soil contamination and asbestos exposure to nearby residents due to abandoned mines. Objectives: The aim of this study is to examine the presence of asbestos in the residential areas of villages surrounding an abandoned asbestos mine and to understand the spread of visible asbestos dust using geographic information system map analysis. Methods: This study examined the presence of asbestos in soil samples from four villages surrounding an abandoned asbestos mine using the scanning electron microscopy technique. The study also compared satellite images taken 13 years apart to determine whether the mine waste containing asbestos had spread over time. Findings: The soil sample testing indicated that, out of 16 soil samples from residential areas, 12 showed the presence of chrysotile asbestos. It was found in the map analysis that asbestos-containing areas had enlarged by around 20% in those years. Conclusion: The evidence indicated the presence of asbestos in the soil of nearby residential areas around the mine, and this contamination has spread over the years. Similar studies at other mine locations are needed, and timely interventions are warranted to protect nearby residents.

Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s).

In plain English

This study tested soil around an abandoned asbestos mine at Roro Hills, Jharkhand, India, which operated from 1963 to 1983. The authors collected four small surface soil samples from residential areas in each of four nearby villages (Birsingh Hatu, Roro, Singijari and Tilaisud), 16 in all, plus one negative control. A laboratory in South Korea examined them by scanning electron microscopy. It reported whether asbestos was present, what type it was, and how long the fibers were. Asbestos was found in 12 of the 16 samples. Every village had at least two positive samples out of four, and all positive samples contained long chrysotile fibers. In a second part, the authors compared satellite images of the visible waste dump near the mine site taken in 2006 and 2019. The dump's area grew from 83,366.01 to 100,105.88 square meters, a 20.08% increase, which the authors attributed to wind and rain. They noted that satellite images cannot detect small amounts of asbestos in soil. The authors concluded that asbestos was present in residential soil and that the contamination had spread over the years.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Environmental study with two parts: soil sampling tested for asbestos by scanning electron microscopy, and comparison of satellite images (GIS) from two dates
• Who was studied: Soil from residential areas of four tribal villages (Birsingh Hatu, Roro, Singijari, Tilaisud) within 3 km of the Roro mine, West Singhbhum district, Jharkhand, India. Four samples were taken per village (16 total) plus one negative control. No people were examined. The villages had a total population of 2454 in the 2011 census.
• Exposure: Asbestos in soil from waste of a mine that operated from 1963 to 1983 and whose waste was left on the hill slopes. The fiber found was chrysotile.
• Main results:
  • 12 of the 16 residential soil samples were positive for asbestos
  • In every village, at least two of the four samples were positive
  • All positive samples contained chrysotile asbestos with long fibers (long asbestos fibers: longer than 5 microns with length-to-width ratio above 3)
  • The visible asbestos dump area near the mine increased from 83,366.01 square meters in 2006 to 100,105.88 square meters in 2019, a net increase of 16,739 square meters (20.08%)
  • The authors attributed the spread of the powdery dump to natural forces such as wind and rain
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that asbestos was present in the soil of residential areas around the mine and that the contamination had spread over the years. They also stated that the mine was not closed properly and the surrounding area was not remediated.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • High-resolution satellite images from before 2006 were not publicly available
  • The map analysis covered only the asbestos dump near the mine site
  • Satellite images capture only visible contamination, not asbestos present in small concentrations in soil

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Chrysotile.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Asbestos Exposure, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Chrysotile.

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