Heavy Metals in Soils From Intense Industrial Areas in South China: Spatial Distribution, Source Apportionment, and Risk Assessment

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution from various industrial activities has raised global concern. The present study collected 71 surface and 67 subsurface soils from the area with intensive industrial activities in South China. The typical heavy metals, including Cd, As, Hg, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Cr concentrations, were detected for studying their spatial distribution patterns. Sources apportionment and risks were analyzed using geographical information system and combined approach, including principal component analysis (PCA), positive matrix factorization (PMF), and geo-accumulation index. The concentrations of Cd, As, Hg, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn (except Cr) were higher than relevant background levels while exhibiting different pollution degrees in surface and subsurface soils. The PMF results showed that agriculture, industry, transportation, and nature were the four primary contributing sources of heavy metals in soils from the study area. In general, anthropogenic activities were the dominant factors, significantly influencing heavy metal distributions in surface and subsurface soils. Health risks of heavy metals in soil to the population via soil inhalation, skin contact, and ingestion indicated the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks were at an unacceptable level. Each exposure route contribution is higher for adults than for children, whereas there is a relatively high risk of cancer for adults than for children. Therefore, increasing attention shall be needed for monitoring the heavy metal pollution in soils in the areas with dramatic economic development, e.g., South China.

Evaluating the impact of heavy metals on antimicrobial resistance in the primary food production environment: A scoping review

“…It has been reported that accumulation of heavy metals in agricultural soil in China can be caused by the use of sewage irrigation, which represents an important source of water due to the deficiency of water sources in this country (Wu et al, 2022). Additionally, the use of fertilizers and insecticides have increased heavy metal concentration in soil, especially cadmium, nickel, copper and mercury, which are used in crops, such as rice (Shifaw, 2018;Su et al, 2022).…”

Spatial distribution, sources, and risk assessment of metal ions in sediments from industrial areas in the Kuye River Basin in Shenmu, China

“…Facchinelli found that the chromium ions in the soil were relevant to the Soil parent substance (Facchinelli et al, 2001), so the soil parent material, dust deposition in industrial areas, and sewage discharge were the reasons for the accumulation of chromium ions in these two sites, and the contribution of mining and settlement in M1 was greater than that of soil factors. Previous research had proven that Cu, Cd, and Zn were closely related to agricultural production, and were regarded as representative of agricultural production elements, Zn is considered a bactericidal active ingredient for crops and vegetation (Nicholson et al, 2003;Su et al, 2022;Sun et al, 2013), and the results show that the content of Cd was close to the soil background value, enrichment and pollution phenomenon do not appear, on the contrary, The Cu concentration was maintained at a high range at each site, which was mainly caused by the agricultural planting at a low area along the river and the emphasis on mine vegetation restoration and protection. The concentration and distribution of metal ions in soil were in uenced by many elements, such as sediment particle size, PH, physicochemical interaction, and hydraulic conditions, which cannot be simply attributed to a single pollution source (Wang et al, 2015).…”

Distribution of Heavy Metals in Soil in Industrial Estates: A Comparative Review of South China and Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia

“…Heavy metals originating from various industrial activities have caused global concern. The main contributors to heavy metals in the soil come from agricultural, industrial, transportation, and natural activities [1]. Agricultural practices and traffic activities mainly cause high Cd concentrations, and high Hg concentrations are mainly caused by coal burning and industrial activities; the spatial heterogeneity of heavy metals is significantly increased due to their accumulation by human activities [2].…”

“…In the agricultural industry, the use of organic fertilizers, phosphate fertilizers, and mixed fertilizers contributes to the concentration of heavy metals in the soil [3]. Health risks are acquired through inhalation exposure, skin contact, and soil through metal-contaminated plants, which show carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks [1]. Heavy metals are chemical elements that naturally occur in nature; their concentration can increase in line with anthropogenic and industrial activities.…”