Environmental and Health Aspects of Mining, Refining and Related Industries
Forever Resorts, Loskop Dam, Middelburg, South Africa, 11 - 15 March, 2012

ENVIRONMIN 2012 CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
The Conference Registration Fee for Local participants is R3 000-00 and USD500-00 for International Participants.

Goals and Scope
The aim of the conference is to facilitate interdisciplinary discussions about all environmental and health issues concerned with the mining and refining of ores. The main themes for this meeting are the work environment, environmental exposure and impact, as well as monitoring methodologies and risk assessment. These, in turn, require an understanding and application of analytical science, geochemistry, biochemistry, clinical chemistry, environmental science, toxicology, medical implications, environmental and occupational health, epidemiology, monitoring methodology as well as all the regulatory practices related to these fields.

Scientific Programme
The programme will consist of 4 days of oral and poster presentations, and discussion. All contributors are requested to focus on recent research results. Oral presentations, invited and submitted, will be 25 and 15 minutes in duration. An additional 5 minutes will be allowed for questions. Poster presentations will be organised in themes, and after formal viewing an in-depth discussion will be held in which authors will be asked to present the salient features of their posters in 5 minutes. Conference topics include Occupational health: assessing underground and workplace exposure, health aspects associated with the mining and refining of metals. Environmental toxicology: source characterisation, long-term fate and transport, contaminant pathways, local contamination of air, soil, vegetation, sediments and water, impact on the environment. Analytical trace analysis: continuous monitoring (on-line, in-line, at site), monitoring markers of exposure, effects and susceptibility, environmental sampling strategies, advances in environmental spectroscopy. Speciation of contaminants and pollutants. Epidemiology and risk assessment: Causal relationships, hazard identification, characterisation and mitigation.

Click to download Preliminary Programme

Venue:
The venue reflects the theme of the conference. The resort lies on the banks of the Loskop Dam on the Olifants River, 48 kilometres north of Middelburg and 230 kilometres East of Johannesburg. The Loskop Dam is surrounded by a Mountain range and a nature reserve which is home to the white rhino, leopard, crocodile and hippo. Game viewing by boat reminiscent of the great lakes of Africa, makes this resort unique.

Abstracts
Abstracts must be submitted by 31 January 2012
Call for Abstracts: CLICK HERE FOR GUIDELINES (46kb pdf document)

Conference Proceedings
Papers presented as posters or lectures may be submitted as full papers for publication

Conference Organisers

International Scientific Committee
Judit Smits (Canada)
Jonathan Okonkwo (RSA)
Mangaka Matoetoe (RSA)
Nelson Torto (RSA)
Nils Skaugset (Norway)
Steve Ray (USA)
Yngvar Thomassen (Norway)

Secretariats
Scientific Committee (abstracts): Mokgalakans@tut.ac.za