Leachability and Health Risk Assessment of Cadmium and Other Heavy Metals in Agricultural Soils from the Mae Tao Watershed, Northern Thailand.

ABSTRACT: Decades of unregulated zinc mining activities in the Mae Tao watershed, located in Mae Sot District, Tak Province, northern Thailand, have resulted in the pervasive contamination of agricultural soils with heavy metals, particularly cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), and manganese (Mn). This legacy pollution has significantly impacted multiple environmental compartments-including surface water, groundwater, and sediments-and poses chronic health risks to local populations. This study investigates the key geochemical and physicochemical factors governing the leachability and mobility of these metals from contaminated soils and evaluates the associated human health risks. Controlled leaching experiments demonstrated that ionic strength exerts a more pronounced influence on metal mobilizatio

SUBMITTER: Santha N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12390624 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature