Distribution, pollution, and human health risks of persistent and potentially toxic elements in the sediments around Hainan Island, China

Zhiwei Che; Waqas Ahmed; Jiechang Weng; Liu Wenjie; Mohsin Mahmood; Juha M Alatalo; Ou Wenjie; Mir Muhammad Nizamani; Wang Lu; Fu Xiu Xian; Yang Jie; Wang Yunting; Weidong Li; Sajid Mehmood

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113278

Distribution, pollution, and human health risks of persistent and potentially toxic elements in the sediments around Hainan Island, China

Mar Pollut Bull. 2022 Jan:174:113278. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113278. Epub 2022 Jan 4.

Authors

Zhiwei Che¹, Waqas Ahmed², Jiechang Weng³, Liu Wenjie⁴, Mohsin Mahmood², Juha M Alatalo⁵, Ou Wenjie², Mir Muhammad Nizamani⁶, Wang Lu², Fu Xiu Xian², Yang Jie², Wang Yunting², Weidong Li⁷, Sajid Mehmood⁸

Affiliations

¹ Haikou Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, State Oceanic Administration, Haikou 570000, Hainan, China.
² Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province (Hainan University), Haikou 570228, China; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou City, 570100, P.R China.
³ Hainan Provincial Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center, 571126, China.
⁴ College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
⁵ Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
⁶ Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, College of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou, China.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province (Hainan University), Haikou 570228, China; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou City, 570100, P.R China. Electronic address: weidongli@hainanu.edu.cn.
⁸ Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province (Hainan University), Haikou 570228, China; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou City, 570100, P.R China. Electronic address: drsajid@hainanu.edu.cn.

PMID: 34995886
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113278

Abstract

Human activities have changed the global concentration of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and significantly altered the marine ecosystem. Little is known about the concentrations of these PTEs around Hainan Island in China, or their distribution and human health risks. Understanding the variability of PTEs in marine sediments and how they accumulate is important not only for biodiversity and ecological conservation, but also for management of aquatic natural resources and human health risk assessments. This study showed that the concentrations of six PTEs (Cd, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, and Hg), sampled in nine different cities, were linked to human activities. In order to understand the ecological risks associated with PTE pollution, we calculated the contamination factor (CF), enrichment factor (EF), pollution load index (PLI), and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) of each element in each city. These indicators suggest that the pollution of Cd and Zn in the sediments of these cities is higher than that of the other PTEs. We also carried out a human health risk assessment which demonstrated the carcinogenic effects of Zn on children and adults in ChengMai, while Pb showed non-carcinogenic effects at all the studied sites, suggesting that Zn pollution in the sediments of ChengMai may pose human health risks. We would therefore advise that follow-up studies endeavor to monitor the levels of PTEs in the flora and fauna of these cities.

Keywords: Human health risk assessment; Pollution indices; Potentially toxic elements; Sediments; Source identification.

MeSH terms

Adult
Child
China
Ecosystem
Environmental Monitoring
Humans
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Risk Assessment
Soil Pollutants* / analysis

Substances

Metals, Heavy
Soil Pollutants