A regional soil and river sediment geochemical study in Baoshan area, Yunnan province, southwest China

Abstract

status of surface environments in the Baoshan area have been revealed * Chemical elements in study area are mainly controlled by geology and geomorphology * Land use types also show its contributions to pH in soil * Agricultural fertilization caused enrichment of the nutrient elements in surface soil * Mining activities are the main reason for PTMs enrichment in surface soil near mine

Contamination Levels and the Ecological and Human Health Risks of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in Soil of Baoshan Area, Southwest China

“…The Baoshan area is located in Yunnan province, Southwest China (Figure 1a), has a low latitude and moderate elevation, and is tempered by a mild subtropical climate with short, mild, and dry winters and warm, wet summers. Variations in the average temperature are closely connected to altitude, while the western and southern parts of the study area experience the highest amount of rainfall [54,55,64]. The main land-use types in the study area are forested land, dry cultivated land, paddy land, grassland, and garden plots, with few water areas or other land types (residential quarters, industrial and mining land, and unused land) (Figure 1c) [54,55].…”

“…This phenomenon can be observed in the soils of the Baoshan area in Yunnan province, southwest China, where mineral resources and carbonate and basalt parent materials are widely distributed [54,55,64]. Previous study has shown the concentrations and the distribution of selected elements (including PTEs) in the soil and river sediments of the Baoshan area, based on the data from the 1: 250,000 scale National Geochemistry Survey of Land Quality project (NGSLQ) and archived river sediment samples collected and analyzed in the Regional Geochemistry-National Reconnaissance (RGNR) program based in this area (6220 km 2 ) [54]. The distribution of PTEs in surface and deep soil are mainly influenced by natural factors (basic igneous rocks, carbonate rocks, and mineralization), while the surface soil near mining areas is aggravated by mining related activities in the Baoshan area [54,55].…”

“…Anthropogenic activities are generally regarded as being the primary source of PTEs in the soil in highly developed, urbanized and industrial urban areas [46][47][48][49], mining areas [5,[50][51][52], or agricultural sectors [41,53]. However, a large body of research on this subject supports the importance of the geological background in contributing to higher PTE contents in soil [2,[33][34][35][36][37]54,55].…”

“…The PTE levels in soil are frequently elevated due to mineral resources (such as Cu, Pb, Zn, and Hg), as well as carbonate and basalt parent materials [56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63]. This phenomenon can be observed in the soils of the Baoshan area in Yunnan province, southwest China, where mineral resources and carbonate and basalt parent materials are widely distributed [54,55,64]. Previous study has shown the concentrations and the distribution of selected elements (including PTEs) in the soil and river sediments of the Baoshan area, based on the data from the 1: 250,000 scale National Geochemistry Survey of Land Quality project (NGSLQ) and archived river sediment samples collected and analyzed in the Regional Geochemistry-National Reconnaissance (RGNR) program based in this area (6220 km 2 ) [54].…”

“…Previous study has shown the concentrations and the distribution of selected elements (including PTEs) in the soil and river sediments of the Baoshan area, based on the data from the 1: 250,000 scale National Geochemistry Survey of Land Quality project (NGSLQ) and archived river sediment samples collected and analyzed in the Regional Geochemistry-National Reconnaissance (RGNR) program based in this area (6220 km 2 ) [54]. The distribution of PTEs in surface and deep soil are mainly influenced by natural factors (basic igneous rocks, carbonate rocks, and mineralization), while the surface soil near mining areas is aggravated by mining related activities in the Baoshan area [54,55]. The environmental ecological risks of the soil and the human health risks connected with PTEs, as well as these risks' spatial distribution, have not been designated in the Baoshan area.…”