Assessment of heavy metal pollution in surface sediments of the Chishui River Basin, China

PLoS One. 2022 Feb 9;17(2):e0260901. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260901. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Accumulated heavy metals in surface sediments are released into the aquatic environment, causing secondary contamination of the hydrosphere, and increasing the risks to human health. To evaluate the pollution characteristics of heavy metals in the sediments of the Chishui River Basin, in the present study, the concentrations of five heavy metals in surface sediments of the Chishui River Basin in China were investigated using the geo-accumulation index, pollution load index, and potential ecological risk indexes. These indexes evaluated the degree of contamination and the influence of human activities on heavy metal levels in the basin. Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg, and As were found at concentrations of 5.12-120.40, 36.01-219.31, 0.03-1.28, 0.01-1.18, and 1.56-11.59 mg kg-1, respectively, with mean values of 37.43, 91.92, 0.25, 0.07, and 5.16 mg kg-1, respectively, in the order Zn > Cu > As > Cd > Hg. The contamination indices revealed Hg as the principal pollutant based on the spatial distribution, while Pearson's correlation coefficients suggested that Cu, Zn, and As originated from a similar source. Hg had a different source from the other metals, whereas Cd originated from a different source compared with that of Zn, As, and Hg. This paper showed a Hg and Cd contamination in the Chishui River Basin.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Rivers*

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Open Fund of the State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology [grant number SKLLQG2036], the Chinese Academy of Sciences Strategic Leading Science and Technology Project (Category B) [grant number XDB40000000], the Guizhou Institute of Technology High-level Talent Research Startup Funding Project [grant number 2019, 45], the Science and Technology Program of Guizhou Province (Guizhou Science and Technology Cooperation Support [grant number 2018, 20101]), and the Science and Technology Foundation of Water Resources Department of Guizhou Province [grant number KT201508]. The funder 1(Yanling An) provided financial assistance in our study design, data collection and analysis, funder 2(Peng Cheng) helped us analyze the articles and play a significant role in the polishing of this paper.