Health Risk Assessment and Source Apportionment for Heavy Metals in a Southern Chinese Reservoir Impacted by Stone Mining Activities

Abstract

Metal contaminants in drinking water pose a potential threat to human health. Metal elements (Fe, Mn, Cu, Cr, Cd, As, and Pb) in Shanzi Reservoir, China, a drinking water source for nearby cities, were measured in 2013 and 2014. The distribution characteristics of metal elements in water were identified and a health risk assessment model was used to evaluate potential harm. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis were used to determine the main sources of metal pollutants. The results showed that Pb and As exceeded the standard at some sampling sites, whereas other metal elements met the drinking water standards. The spatial distribution of metal elements was extremely uneven and might be affected by either the geochemical environment or human activities in the study region. The total risk value of metals (5 × 10 -5 a -1 ) was below the recommended value of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the total cancer risk was higher than the total noncancer risk, and both risks were higher for children than for adults. Arsenic was the priority control pollutant, and the priority control site was located upstream of the reservoir. Source analysis showed that Fe, Mn, and Cu were mainly from soil formation and stone mining and processing industries; Pb and As were mainly from agricultural activities, free dumping and burning of domestic garbage, and atmospheric deposition from transportation emissions; Cd was mainly from agricultural application of fertilizers and pesticides; and Cr was from the stone mining and processing industry and from the electroplating and metal manufacturing industries. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:342-352. © 2019 SETAC

Distribution, toxicity load, and risk assessment of dissolved metal in surface and overlying water at the Xiangjiang River in southern China

“…They may enter the human body directly from drinking water or indirectly via the food chain 4 . The metal contaminants in the water bodies may come from both natural sources (e.g., geological erosion, weathering, precipitation) and anthropogenic activities (e.g., mining, metal processing, industrial wastewater, the application of pesticides and fertilizers) [5][6][7] . In addition, sediments are also a source of metals because metals can be released into overlying water after desorption and then re-suspended in the surface water 8 .…”

Improvement of Ecological Risk Considering Heavy Metal in Soil and Groundwater Surrounding Electroplating Factories

“…Using polluted wastewater for irrigation, Xiao et al [11] investigated the distribution of heavy metals in the vegetable and paddy crops near an electroplating facility. Zeng et al [12] investigated the distribution of heavy metals and built a model for determining the possible damage to humans. The cancer risk was around 20% higher in the region with hazardous heavy metals in the drinking water than in the rest of the country [13].…”

Distribution and Health Risk Assessment of Dissolved Metal in Surface and overlying water at the the Xiangjiang River in Southern China

“…There are many sources of metal in water, mainly including nature sources, such as geological erosion, weathering, and precipitation; anthropogenic activities sources, such as mining; metal processing; industrial wastewater; and the application of pesticides and fertilizers [10][11][12]. Many studies have shown that some toxic trace metals have triple effects (carcinogenesis, teratogenesis and mutagenesis).…”