Pollution Profiles, Source Identification and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soil near a Non-Ferrous Metal Smelting Plant

Mengdie Qi; Yingjun Wu; Shu Zhang; Guiying Li; Taicheng An

doi:10.3390/ijerph20021004

Pollution Profiles, Source Identification and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soil near a Non-Ferrous Metal Smelting Plant

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 5;20(2):1004. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20021004.

Authors

Mengdie Qi^{1

2}, Yingjun Wu^{1

2}, Shu Zhang^{1

2}, Guiying Li^{1

2}, Taicheng An^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
² Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution related to non-ferrous metal smelting may pose a significant threat to human health. This study analyzed 58 surface soils collected from a representative non-ferrous metal smelting area to screen potentially hazardous heavy metals and evaluate their health risk in the studied area. The findings demonstrated that human activity had contributed to the pollution degrees of Cu, Cd, As, Zn, and Pb in the surrounding area of a non-ferrous metal smelting plant (NMSP). Cu, Cd, As, Zn, Pb, Ni, and Co pollution within the NMSP was serious. Combining the spatial distribution and Spearman correlations with principal component analysis (PCA), the primary sources of Cd, As, Pb, and Zn in surrounding areas were related to non-ferrous metal smelting and transportation activities. High non-cancer (THI = 4.76) and cancer risks (TCR = 2.99 × 10^-4) were found for adults in the NMSP. Moreover, heavy metals in the surrounding areas posed a potential cancer risk to children (TCR = 3.62 × 10^-6) and adults (TCR = 1.27 × 10^-5). The significant contributions of As, Pb, and Cd to health risks requires special attention. The construction of a heavy metal pollution management system will benefit from the current study for the non-ferrous metal smelting industry.

Keywords: heavy metals; non-ferrous metal smelting; risk assessment; soil; source identification.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Cadmium
Child
China
Environmental Monitoring
Humans
Lead
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Metals, Heavy* / toxicity
Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell
Risk Assessment
Soil
Soil Pollutants* / analysis
Soil Pollutants* / toxicity

Substances

Soil
Cadmium
Lead
Soil Pollutants
Metals, Heavy
Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Project (2019YFC1804504 and 2019YFC1804503), National Natural Science Foundation of China (41731279), and Local Innovative and Research Teams Project of Guangdong Pearl River Talents Program (2017BT01Z032).