Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zhou Wang, Pingping Luo, Xianbao Zha, Chengyi Xu, Shuxin Kang, Meimei Zhou, Daniel Nover, Yihe Wang
Summary: Heavy metal pollution poses significant risks to human and environmental health, and has attracted widespread attention. However, there are still challenges in monitoring, managing, and mitigating heavy metal pollution, including the lack of systematic risk evaluation criteria and governance methods. Researchers utilize risk assessment and multivariate statistical analysis methods to select treatment technologies. Comprehensive considerations of contaminated time, concentration and nature of contaminants, soil/water and site characteristics, contaminant availability, and existing regulations are essential for formulating appropriate restoration and treatment plans. The combination of GIS and modeling appears to be the most effective approach for analyzing heavy metal pollution risks. Various physicochemical and biological technologies have been employed for heavy metal removal from water and soil, but no single method is universally effective. Combining different technologies can enhance efficiency and provide a reasonable approach to inter-governmental, cross-border prevention and monitoring of anthropogenic pollution sources.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Saeed Negahban, Marzieh Mokarram, Hamid Reza Pourghasemi, Huichun Zhang
Summary: The study reveals that the concentrations of cadmium and lead in the soils of Neyriz, Iran exceed global standard thresholds by 10-40 times, while copper and zinc levels are below the thresholds, indicating contamination from geological formations and Ophiolitic rock masses in the area. Natrual factors such as geological formations can contribute to soil and plant pollution, in addition to pollution caused by human activities.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qing Xiang, Huan Yu, Hongliang Chu, Mengke Hu, Tao Xu, Xiaoyu Xu, Ziyi He
Summary: Heavy metal pollution control zoning is important for maintaining the health of the watershed soil ecosystem. This study used self-organizing map and potential ecological risk assessment to classify and evaluate heavy metal pollution, and proposed strategies for classified management and control. The results showed regional differences in soil ecological risk, and identified influential factors.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Danyang Meng, Yang Shao, Min Luo, Zhiming Liu, Diandou Xu, Lingling Ma
Summary: Investigating heavy metal(oid)s (HMs) in urban soils is crucial for protecting human life and health. This study examined HMs in Beijing's urban soils, evaluated their ecological and health risks, and employed statistical models for retrospective analysis. The study found that although Cu, Zn, and Pb levels in the soils were below national standards, they were higher than background values, indicating the presence of HM enrichment in surface soils. The study also determined the main sources of HM pollution in soils.
WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Xinyu Mao, Jingjing Sun, Hiba Shaghaleh, Xiaosan Jiang, Huaizhi Yu, Senmao Zhai, Yousef Alhaj Hamoud
Summary: The research investigated the environmental quality of the agricultural production area in Taizhou City, China, and found that heavy metal pollution in soil-crop systems was influenced by industrial activities, agricultural sources, and transportation emissions. The average values of Cr, Pb, Cd, As, and Hg in soil were lower than the risk control standard values, but Pb, Cd, and Hg exceeded their soil background values due to anthropogenic activities. The study also revealed that rice and wheat had higher heavy metal contents than the food safety limiting values and relevant standard values, with severe pollution in certain areas.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Haiwei Zhang, Fei Zhang, Jia Song, Mou Leong Tan, Hsiang-te Kung, Verner Carl Johnson
Summary: The study analyzed the pollution characteristics and sources of heavy metal elements in the Zhundong mining area in Xinjiang for the first time, as well as evaluating the health risks and influencing factors using Monte Carlo simulation. Results showed that coal combustion, transportation, and atmospheric dust were significant sources of heavy metal pollution in the area. The research contributes to better soil management, remediation, and pollution control in Xinjiang's mining areas.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sahand Jorfi, Halime Almasi, Zeinab Ghaedrahmat, Nematollah Jaafarzadeh, Mojtaba Kalantar, Amir Zahedi
Summary: This study investigated the pollution levels and potential health risks associated with toxic elements in soil and vegetables. The results showed correlations between certain elements and pH values, as well as the need for regular monitoring of vegetable contamination to maintain health standards.
WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mengxue Wan, Wenyou Hu, Huifeng Wang, Kang Tian, Biao Huang
Summary: This study aimed to comprehensively assess the environmental quality of agricultural soils and the safety of agricultural products. It found that some soil-crop systems were at risk of contamination by heavy metals (HMs), with paddy soils having the highest potential risk followed by maize soils. Integration of soil environmental quality and agricultural product safety provides a novel and reliable approach to evaluate the potential risk of HMs in arable land.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ruiqi Yang, Gaogao Ma, Chenglong Liu, Chao Wang, Xiaoyang Kang, Minghui Wu, Binglin Zhang
Summary: Heavy metal contamination in soils at a Zn-Pb mineral processing plant in Longnan, China poses a serious threat to human health and global pollution. Different levels of heavy metal contamination have varying effects on microbial communities. Statistical analysis revealed higher average levels of all detected metals (Zn, Pb, As, Cu, Cd, Hg) in the soil compared to the background value, with Pb and As being the most serious contaminants. The heaviest contamination occurred in the raw material stacking area and production area. Closer proximity to the wastewater discharge area corresponded to higher heavy metal content and greater pollution. Microbial community diversity decreased with increasing heavy metal concentrations, but fungi showed no significant change. Cu, Cd, Hg, and pH were identified as the main factors affecting microbial community composition. Actinobacteria and Gemmatimonadetes were negatively correlated with Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb at the uncontaminated level, while Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi were significantly correlated with pH and Hg at the severely contaminated level. However, heavy metal contamination had minimal impact on dominant fungi. In conclusion, microbial communities such as Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Ascomycota exhibited greater tolerance to heavy metals, providing important insights for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Fataneh Hashempour-baltork, Behrooz Jannat, Behrouz Tajdar-oranj, Majid Aminzare, Hamed Sahebi, Adel Mirza Alizadeh, Hedayat Hosseini
Summary: Risk assessment of heavy metals is critical in controlling and preventing risks of foodborne diseases. Fish can be used as bioindicators for exposure to potential toxic elements (PTEs), which can represent potential risks for humans. The study collected data on PTEs in fish from different fishery regions in Iran and used Monte Carlo simulation to assess health risks. The results showed that mercury intake from fish in all regions exceeded safe levels for children, and consumers of fish from the southern sea were at risk of mercury adverse health effects. The study also highlighted the high carcinogenic risk of cadmium in fish from all regions. Overall, the consumption of fish in Iran may pose health complexities for consumers, especially infants and pregnant women.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Hao Zhou, Yong Chen, Xuemei Yue, Dajun Ren, Yanzhong Liu, Ke Yang
Summary: This study identified the major sources of heavy metal pollution in agricultural soil in ancient mining areas using the PMF model. The SPLIzone and SELIzone methods were employed to assess the integrated pollution and ecological risks of various elements. It was found that Cu and Cd were the most contaminated elements, with mining as the major pollution source and smelting industrial activities contributing to the highest ecological risk. This study provides a quantitative method for assessing the hazards of heavy metal sources, which is valuable for the study and management of heavy metal pollution.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Jing-yu Peng, Shuai Zhang, Yingyu Han, Bate Bate, Han Ke, Yunmin Chen
Summary: Rapid urbanization in China has triggered large-scale factory relocation, resulting in severe environmental and health risks caused by contaminated legacies. This study comprehensively assesses the pollution and health risks of industrial legacies in China, providing insights for better risk management.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ling Yang, Qiang Ren, Kaixuan Zheng, Zhiqiang Jiao, Xinling Ruan, Yangyang Wang
Summary: The study revealed severe heavy metal pollution in soil from vineyards near Kaifeng city, with high levels of Cd and Zn posing potential health risks for humans. Heavy metals were more likely to accumulate in grape leaves, but their contents in grape pulp were within permissible limits.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Water Resources
Xufeng Fei, Zhaohan Lou, Rui Xiao, Xiaonan Lv, George Christakos
Summary: Accurate risk assessment of heavy metal pollution in soil is crucial for environmental and human health protection. This study collected samples from different regions with variations in heavy metal background values and analyzed pollution levels, environmental and health risks, as well as spatial patterns. The results showed significant differences in pollution levels and risks among soils developed from different parent materials, emphasizing the need for targeted prevention measures, especially in high-risk areas.
EXPOSURE AND HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Tong Zhang, Feng Liu, Xiezhi Yu, Xiaofeng Jiang, Yibin Cui, Mei Li
Summary: The study found serious contamination of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil from industrial parks, but low health risks from PAHs; wheat was significantly affected by contaminated soil, with chlorophyll, POD, and AMS activity serving as suitable biomarkers for assessing the combined toxicity of multiple pollutants.