An interdisciplinary scientific field with origins dating back to ancient Greece, medical geology is the exploration of the relationship between the earth's elements and human medical conditions. While Aristotle and Hippocrates were the first to consider this relationship, the International Union of Geological Sciences coined the term in 1990. The growing field of study aims to explain certain human diseases, with the basis that the chemical elements that flow through the atmosphere, biosphere, and other planetary compartments influence the chemical makeup of humans and animals in that area.
In 2021, a team of researchers published a study in the journal Ecofeminism and Climate Change that examined medical geology conditions in people in Ghana. Examining case studies, published research studies, and empirical studies, the researchers concluded that many people in the country, especially those working in or living near mining operations, experienced above average rates of developmental or intellectual disability, fluorosis, and death. They also associated mining activities with increased risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
The geological impact of mining also presents various environmental concerns, including water contamination that, if untreated, could be unfit for human consumption and destroy aquatic habitats via acid drainage. Their findings back up several other medical geology studies that highlight the public health implications of mining. Many of these studies have found that elements produced from interactions involving weathered rocks and water contribute to cardiovascular diseases.
