Dataset Information

Ecological Risk Assessment and Source Apportionment of Heavy Metals in the Soil of an Opencast Mine in Xinjiang.

ABSTRACT: To study the influence of open-pit coal mining on the surrounding soil environment and human health, this study selected the Hongshaquan coal mine in Xinjiang as the research area and took 31 soil samples from the dump and artificial forest of the mining area. The contents of seven heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in the soil were analyzed. The pollution index method, geoaccumulation index method (I_geo), potential ecological risk index method, health ecological risk assessment model and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to evaluate and analyze the heavy metal pollution, potential ecological risk and health ecological risk of the soil. The results showed that compared with the background value of soil in Xinjiang, except for Pb, other heavy metal elements were essentially pollution-free and belonged to the low ecological risk area. The health risk assessment model showed that Pb and As were the main pollution factors of noncarcinogenic risk, and that exposure to Ni, Pb and As had a lower carcinogenic risk. The PCA showed that Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, As and Zn in the dump were from transportation and industrial activities, Cd was from natural resources, and Cr, Zn, Ni, Cd and Pb were from transportation in the artificial forest. Cu came from industrial sources and As from soil parent material. The dump was more seriously disturbed by human factors than by artificial forests. Our research provides a reference for heavy metal pollution and source analysis caused by mining.

SUBMITTER: Fan T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9736650 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Ecological Risk Assessment and Source Apportionment of Heavy Metals in the Soil of an Opencast Mine in Xinjiang.

Fan Tingyu T Pan Jinhong J Wang Xingming X Wang Shun S Lu Akang A

International journal of environmental research and public health 20221123 23

To study the influence of open-pit coal mining on the surrounding soil environment and human health, this study selected the Hongshaquan coal mine in Xinjiang as the research area and took 31 soil samples from the dump and artificial forest of the mining area. The contents of seven heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in the soil were analyzed. The pollution index method, geoaccumulation index method (I<sub>geo</sub>), potential ecological risk index method, health ecological risk assess ...[more]

PMID: 36497597

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Project description:Understanding the environmental risks of soil heavy metals (HMs) and identifying their main sources are the essential prerequisites for the prevention and management of soil pollution. Based on a detailed survey of soil HMs (Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn, Pb, Cd, As and Hg) from different land use types (including agricultural land, construction land, wetland, and forest land) in an estuary alluvial island, the environmental risk and source apportionment of soil HMs were investigated. Altogether, 117 soil samples were taken in the study area to appraise the soil HMs environmental risk by using the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), potential ecological risk index (RI), and human health risk assessment (HRA) and to identify its main sources by using positive matrix factorization (PMF) model. The average concentrations of soil HMs (except As) surpassed their reference background values in China. There were no significant differenced in the mean concentrations of HMs in different land use types, except that the Hg concentration in the construction land was significantly higher than that in others. The results of Igeo showed that Cd pollution was unpolluted to moderately polluted, and that the others were unpolluted. The potential ecological risk level for Cd and Hg was "moderated potential risk", while for Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn, Pb and As was "low potential risk". Higher contamination was distributed at the west-central area. The results of the HRA indicated that the non-carcinogenic risk and the carcinogenic risk that human beings suffered from HMs in different land uses were insignificant. To more accurately identify the sources of soil HMs, the PMF model coupled with the GIS-spatial analysis was applied. The results showed that agricultural activities, natural source, industrial discharge and river transportation, and atmosphere deposition were the main determining factors for the accumulation of soil HMs in the study area, with the contribution rate of 24.25%, 23.79%, 23.84%, and 28.12%, respectively. The study provides an underlying insight needed to control of the soil HM pollutions for an estuary alluvial island.

Project description:Air pollution in opencast coal mine areas is a critical issue, resulting in harmful severe effects on human health. Therefore, it is essential to understand the air pollution factors and to assess the risks to humans. This study evaluated the potential risks (carcinogen and non-carcinogen) of inhalation exposure to PM10-bound heavy metals and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in an open pit mine in northern Colombia. During February-May 2022, PM10 samples were collected at eight sites. Heavy metals (i.e., Al, Cr(VI), Mn, Cu, Zn, As, Pb) and PAHs (thirteen priority PAHs, and one non-priority PAH) levels linked to PM10 were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, respectively. PM10 concentrations were found to range between 4.70 and 59.90 µg m-3. Out of the three different zones of the study area (i.e., North Zone, South Zone, and Populated Zone), the North Zone recorded the highest daily average concentrations of Cr(VI) (104.16 ng m-3), Mn (28.39 ng m-3), Cu (33.75 ng m-3), Zn (57.99 ng m-3), As (44.92 ng m-3), and Pb (27.13 ng m-3). The fraction of the analyzed heavy metals at all monitoring sites was 82%-89% for Al, followed by Cr(VI) with 3%-6%. Cr(VI) was the major contributor to the carcinogenic risk values, while Cu, Cr(VI), and As were the main drivers for the non-carcinogenic risk. The average cancer risk range for heavy metals was 3.30 × 10-04 -5.47 × 10-04. On the other hand, the cancer risk for PAHs exposure was acceptable. The average incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values varied between 2.87 × 10-07 and 4.21 × 10-07. Benzo[a]pyrene contributed to 54%-56% of the total risk from inhalation of PM10-bound PAHs, while Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene contributed to 16%-19%. Based on the Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis, exposure to Cr(VI) was the main factor affecting cancer risk in the North, South, and Populated Zones. A suitable risk assessment and management plan requires understanding PM10-bound heavy metals and PAHs concentration levels as well as their potential health risks, mainly in open-cast coal mine zones. Our study found that people living near open-pit mines face potential health risks, so it is crucial to establish policies and regulations to control emission sources.

Dataset Information

Ecological Risk Assessment and Source Apportionment of Heavy Metals in the Soil of an Opencast Mine in Xinjiang.

Publications

Ecological Risk Assessment and Source Apportionment of Heavy Metals in the Soil of an Opencast Mine in Xinjiang.

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