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Mining hazards can be defined as having major environmental impacts including the production of waste, release of toxic and hazardous waste, air pollution and emissions, water pollution and depletion, and the loss of productive land and ecosystems (adapted from UNDP and UN Environment, 2018).

Sand haze is haze caused by the suspension in the atmosphere of small sand or dust particles, raised from the ground prior to the time of observation by a sandstorm or dust storm (WMO, 1992).

An aquifer is a water-bearing rock that readily transmits water to wells and springs. It can be recharged either naturally (precipitation including rainfall or snow) or artificially (e.g., pumped river recharge via wells). Failure or outage can be due to derogation, well failure or contamination (USGS, no date).

Arsenic is a toxic heavy metal widely distributed throughout the Earth’s crust, generally as arsenic sulphide or as metal arsenates and arsenides. Human exposure to arsenic compounds represents a major public health concern as it has been associated with a range of acute and long-term adverse health effects and diseases (WHO, 2019).

A point source of air pollution is an identifiable stationary location or fixed facility from which air pollutants are released, which may be manmade or natural in origin (adapted from Kibble and Harrison, 2005 and Dunne et al., 2014).

An airburst is defined as an explosion in the air, especially of a nuclear bomb or large meteorite (Lexico Dictionary, no date).

Shigellosis is an acute invasive enteric infection caused by bacteria belonging to genus Shigella (WHO, 2005).

West Nile virus disease is a fatal neurological disease caused by a virus transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes. The virus is a member of the flavivirus genus and belongs to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the family Flaviviridae (WHO, 2017).

Biological agents, according to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (1972), include germs, toxins and viruses that can sicken or kill people, livestock, or crops (UNODA, 1972).

UV radiation is the portion of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum between X-rays and visible light. Depending on its wavelength, UV radiation can penetrate the ozone layer and affect human health in different ways (Government of Canada, 2019).