The articles "Organic matter reduces copper toxicity for the earthworm Eisenia fetida in soils from mining areas in Central Chile" and "Spatial distribution of copper, organic matter and ph in agricultural soils affected by mining activities", discuss the important topic of copper in Chile. I learned from these articles that Chile is one of the leading countries in copper production and smelting. Copper can be harmful to the environment and requires much study of the effects it can have. I also learned from this article that Chile currently has no legislation on maximum acceptable concerntrations of toxic elements in the soil. This poses a great threat to Chiles environmental health. Without any need to regulation of toxicity produced Chile is in great danger of developing a problem with soil and toxicity levels. In the first article I read, earthworms in areas of copper production were studied. It was shown that Cu and OM we're the two largest contaminates of the earth warms. Earthworms are a good indication of soil contamination because they are macrofauna and can illustrate a good picture of what the soil in that region is carrying.
The second article discussed proximity of mining locations and the effect on the soil. The location of the Anconcagua River Basin is of great importance to agricultural production in Chile. High levels of copper were found around that area. Both previous historical mining and current may play a role in the high presence of copper. The article discussed the distribution of PH levels in the soil and the presence of organic matter. The different levels of Cu found varied upon location of the mines.
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