Biomarker as Indicator of Aerial Dispersal of Heavy Metal within Remediated and Abandoned Tin Mine Site

This project aims to investigate the behavior of aerial dispersal of heavy metals in the
former tin mine sites in Perak. Research consists of two parts: (a) the study of heavy metal
concentrations at remediated sites of former tin mine and (b) the study of heavy metal
concentrations at abandoned sites of former tin mine. In this report, the research activity
focuses on the application of biomarkers from plants in these sites due to their reliability in
environmental monitoring study. Tree barks from several tree species are collected to
indicate the concentration level of lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn). Species of plants are chosen
based on their availability at the study sites. Accumulation of heavy metals left by mining
activities would contribute to the degradation of mineral contents needed by plant for
growth in former mining lands. Previous attempts to exploit the idle lands as agro forestry
plantation mostly failed to meet the expectation especially in health and safety issues.
According to several studies, the crops grown on former mining land are found to contain
high level of heavy metals (Reuters, 2002) which could be a threat to human health. To
overcome this issue, former mining lands must be remediated to reduce the degree of
pollution and establish the accumulation of heavy metals to a tolerable level. Forest
Research Institute Malaysia - Bidor Research Station (FRSB) is one of the examples of
former tin mine which has had remediation activities such as phytoremediation. Studies are
done to determine and investigate the behavior of aerial dispersal of Pb and Zn thus
assessing the pollutant effects over the years when remediation started. Tree barks will be
collected from the sites and used for laboratory analysis to indicate the Pb and Zn
concentration by using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS). To study the
influence of distance in airborne deposition, samples were collected at three different
distances which are 5 m, 50 m, and 100 m from a point source. To study the relation
between height and concentration, samples are collected at three different heights which are
0.6 m, 1.2 m and 1.8 m ofa single tree. From results analysis, concentration ofPb and Zn at
TDH is higher than FRSB mainly at 5 m distance from the point source. Comparisonbetween concentration of Pb and Zn in 2006 with current concentration referred from this
study in year 2010, shows reduction in Pb and Zn concentration. In the context of distance
from source aspect, most of the trees located closer to the source point are receiving the
mine waste greatly enriched in Pb and Zn. From this study, it shows no relation between
height of a single tree with Pb and Zn accumulation.