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Analysis of institutional authors

Ortega, MfAuthorChavez, EAuthorRomero, PAuthorGarcia-Garizabal, IAuthorBolonio, DAuthor

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May 24, 2021
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Ecological and probabilistic human health risk assessment of heavy metal(loid)s in river sediments affected by mining activities in Ecuador

Publicated to: ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH. 43 (11): 4459-4474 - 2021-11-01 43(11), DOI: 10.1007/s10653-021-00935-w

Authors:

Jimenez-Oyola, Samantha; Garcia-Martinez, Maria-Jesus; Ortega, Marcelo F; Chavez, Eduardo; Romero, Paola; Garcia-Garizabal, Iker; Bolonio, David
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Affiliations

‎ ESPOL, Escuela Super Politecn Litoral, Fac Ciencias Vida, Campus Gustavo Galindo Km 30-5 Via Perimetral, Guayaquil, Ecuador - Author
‎ ESPOL, Escuela Super Politecn Litoral, Fac Ingn Ciencias Tierra, Campus Gustavo Galindo Km 30-5 Via Perimetral, Guayaquil, Ecuador - Author
‎ Univ Politecn Madrid, Dept Energy & Fuels, ETS Ingenieros Minas & Energia, Rios Rosas 21, Madrid 28003, Spain - Author
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Abstract

Gold mining is a significant source of metal(loid)s released into the environment. It is an issue of concern due to the potential adverse health effects associated with exposure to toxic elements. This study aimed to assess the ecological and human health risk caused by heavy metal(loid)s exposure in river sediments in Ponce Enriquez, one of the most important mining sites in Ecuador. Concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were evaluated in 172 sediment samples to determine the Potential ecological risk (R-I) and the carcinogenic (CR) and non-carcinogenic risk (HQ). The human exposure to polluted sediments during recreational activities was computed using Bayesian probabilistic models. Residents were randomly surveyed to adjust the risk models to the specific population data. More than 68% of the sampling stations pose a severe As and Cd ecological risk index (E-r(i) > 320). Likewise, residents exposed to river sediments showed a non-acceptable carcinogenic risk by incidental ingestion, being As the primary contributor to overall cancer in both children and adults receptors. Moreover, non-carcinogenic risk through the incidental ingestion of sediments was above the safe limit for children. This is the first study conducted in a mining region in Ecuador that reveals the severe levels of ecological and human health risk to which the population is exposed. These results can be applied as a baseline to develop public health strategies to monitor and reduce the health hazards of the residents of mining communities.
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Keywords

AdultAnalysisAreaBayes theoremBayesian analysisBayesian approachChildChinaContaminationEcological impactEcuadorElementsEnvironmental monitoringExposureFluvial depositGeologic sedimentsGold mineGold miningHealth riskHeavy metalHumanHumansMediaMetalloidMetalsMetals, heavyMineMiningMulti-pathway exposurePollutionProbabilityRisk assessmentRisk quantificationRiverRiversScaleSedimentToxicityVaranidaeWaterWater pollutantWater pollutants, chemical

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2021, it was in position 20/100, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Water Resources.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from World Citations provided by WoS (ESI, Clarivate), it yields a value for the citation normalization relative to the expected citation rate of: 2. This indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: ESI Nov 13, 2025)

This information is reinforced by other indicators of the same type, which, although dynamic over time and dependent on the set of average global citations at the time of their calculation, consistently position the work at some point among the top 50% most cited in its field:

  • Weighted Average of Normalized Impact by the Scopus agency: 2.83 (source consulted: FECYT Mar 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2026-04-24, the following number of citations:

  • WoS: 24
  • Scopus: 32
  • Europe PMC: 5
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Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2026-04-24:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 121.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 120 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 7.
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 7 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • Assignment of a Handle/URN as an identifier within the deposit in the Institutional Repository: https://oa.upm.es/85882/

As a result of the publication of the work in the institutional repository, statistical usage data has been obtained that reflects its impact. In terms of dissemination, we can state that, as of

  • Views: 142
  • Downloads: 1
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Leadership analysis of institutional authors

This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: Ecuador.

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (Jimenez-Oyola, S) and Last Author (BOLONIO MARTIN, DAVID).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been Garcia-Martinez, MJ.

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