This study deals with the potential release of metal/loids from sulfide mine wastes upon weathering and the
health risks associated with their accidental ingestion. To address this, a complete chemical and mineralogical
characterization of a variety of sulfide mine wastes was performed alongside a determination of metal/loid
bioaccessibility through leaching tests simulating human digestive and lung fluids. The mine wastes consisted
predominantly of Fe (35–55% of Fe2O3) and exhibited high concentrations of trace metalloids such as As
(382–4310 mg/kg), Pb (205–15,974 mg/kg), Cu (78–1083 mg/kg), Zn (274–1863 mg/kg), or Sb (520–1816 mg/
kg). Most wastes with high concentrations of soluble compounds are considered hazardous according to the
European regulations due to the exceedance of threshold values for As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Sb, sulfates, and Zn determined
by standardized tests. In general terms, the absorption of waste-hosted metals through both digestive and
respiratory routes was low compared to the total metal contents of the wastes, with values below 8% of the total
concentration in wastes for most metal/loids including Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Tl, or U. However, some metals exhibited
a significantly higher absorption potential, especially through the respiratory route, reaching values of up to 17%
for Cr and 75% for Pb, highlighting the strong bioaccessibility of Pb in certain sulfide wastes. Despite the high
metal/loid concentrations observed in the studied wastes, a health risk assessment indicated that some noncarcinogenic
effects could be observed in children only following the accidental digestion of Pb.