Link to a BGS site which is worth keeping an eye on in the future as the project is still ongoing:

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/highlights/2013/arsenicSW.html 

I wonder if dust monitors have been placed around all the sites involving the new construction of the Camborne Redruth giant rat run (East west Link road)?

Also is this natural Arsenic (of which many mineral forms are harmless) or Arsenic that has resulted due to mining activity ? The BGS report is not very clear on the form that the Arsenic takes.

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There are indeed dust monitors on the Link Road, the two that I know of are at the end of Church View Road and in Chapel Road. The most frigthening section on the new road is at the back of the old mill at crofty, where there was an old quarry that was infilled with calcined arsenic (After the product had nit saleable value. If you look at the ground investigation, in that area the arsenic levels were greater than 500,000 ppm (Over 50%!) and as it is calcined it very definitely "Bio Available"

I recall that the quarry was in use during the 1980's for tailings residues emanating from South Crofty's processing plant when it was operating. This material included arsenopyrite and other sulphides not arsenic from the calciner.

The report also says -
[The study will also include environmental monitoring of
household dust, garden soil and rice.].....Rice? :blink:

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It was indeed used in the 80's polo, but from what I gather it was used since the 1920's.

The report also says -
[The study will also include environmental monitoring of
household dust, garden soil and rice.].....Rice? :blink:

Rice is particularly good at getting arsenic out of the soil and into humans. Maybe they have to take this into account in the survey.

In fact, the project update says:

"The results from household dust wipe samples and rice samples will complement research conducted by the British Geological Survey and University of Manchester investigating possible exposure routes of arsenic from the environment."

:smartass:

Rice is often used as a 'blank' standard (known low level sample) for laboratory calibration in biogeochemical assaying - maybe that's what it's for.

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Arsenic used to have a garlic type smell when we used to drill through a deposit underground.

Lozz.

Rice is known to accumulate heavy metals like several other members of the grass family such as Miscanthus. In fact the later has been used to try to remediate contaminated mine sites. Many brassica's also do the same. No one dare test Cornish Cauliflowers.;)

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It was indeed used in the 80's polo, but from what I gather it was used since the 1920's.

I should have said up to the 1980's and I have now searched more on the net.

South Crofty sold calcined arsenic (soot) as a bi-product until 1950 when the calciner was no longer used, the residue from the process, mainly iron was stored in the quarry. Changes in processing meant that sulphide tailings was then stored in the quarry for later sale. In the 1970/80's prices were high enough for this to happen and I'm aware that all of the material stored in the quarry was removed during the 1980's.

Other commodity prices crashed with the 1985 tin price crash so sulphide tails were again stored in the quarry until 1988. This has since been buried by mostly inert material.
Baseresult's 2004 GI report for the ROMPs confirms slightly elevated levels towards the bottom of the quarry. The new road's GI report confirms that the highest arsenic level in the entire length of the road was found in material close to the top of the quarry at 1.18%. This is unlikely to be related to processing tails.