Soil contamination and health risk assessment from heavy metals exposure near mining area in Bac Kan province, Vietnam

Abstract

Mining activities in Vietnam have resulted in potential heavy metals contamination, which unfavorably influences soil quality and represents a risk to human health. This study was designed to investigate the heavy metals contamination in the vicinity of the Pb-Zn and Au mines. Soil samples were collected along the stream, and then, solutions were prepared by a modified Aqua Regia method. They were analyzed by ICP-MS for trace elements, and the analytical result data of 7 elements (As, Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were used to define pollution indices with statistical results and to interpret the health risk assessment. For the preliminary identification of the pollution sources near the Pb-Zn mine of the elements, statistical analysis (including principal component analysis and Spearman correlation coefficient) and information about mineral composition ore and surrounding rocks were applied. The analytical results of heavy metals showed that the average concentrations of As and Pb were higher than the Vietnam standard for residential soil by about eight and three times, respectively. Pollution indices also indicated that Pb and As were the highest contamination factors in the soil near Pb-Zn mine and Au mine, respectively. Statistical analysis results revealed that the pollution sources of these elements in the soil near the Pb-Zn mine were a combination of anthropogenic and geogenic sources. Health risk assessment pointed out that children were at higher risk than adults in both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk.

Keywords: Health risk assessment; Heavy metals contamination; Mining area; Pollution indices; Soil; Statistical approach.