LAPSE:2023.4695
Published Article

LAPSE:2023.4695
Human-Health and Environmental Risks of Heavy Metal Contamination in Soil and Groundwater at a Riverside Site, China
February 23, 2023
Abstract
The contaminated site is considered a high-risk pollution source due to the accumulation of industrial waste and wastewater, which affects the soil and groundwater environment. In this study, through soil and groundwater investigation, we outlined the characteristics of heavy metal contamination in the soil and groundwater of the contaminated site, assessed the health risk of the contaminated site to humans, and established a numerical model to predict the ecological and environmental risks of the site. The results of the study showed that the maximum contamination concentration of pollutants (lead, arsenic, cadmium) in the soil all exceeded the Chinese environmental standard (GB36600-2018, Grade II), that the maximum contamination concentration (cadmium, Cd) of the groundwater exceeded the Chinese environmental standard (GB14848−2017, Grade IV), and that the heavy metal pollution was mainly concentrated in the production area of the site and the waste-residue stockpiles. The total carcinogenic risk and non-carcinogenic hazard quotient of the site’s soil heavy metal contaminants exceed the human acceptable limit, and there is a human health risk. However, the groundwater in the area where the site is located is prohibited from exploitation, and there is no volatility of the contaminants and no exposure pathway to the groundwater, so there is no risk to human health. The simulation prediction results show that, with the passage of time, the site groundwater pollutants as a whole migrate from south to north, affecting the northern surface water bodies after about 12 years, and there is a high ecological and environmental risk. The above findings provide a scientific basis for the study of the soil and groundwater at the riverside contaminated site.
The contaminated site is considered a high-risk pollution source due to the accumulation of industrial waste and wastewater, which affects the soil and groundwater environment. In this study, through soil and groundwater investigation, we outlined the characteristics of heavy metal contamination in the soil and groundwater of the contaminated site, assessed the health risk of the contaminated site to humans, and established a numerical model to predict the ecological and environmental risks of the site. The results of the study showed that the maximum contamination concentration of pollutants (lead, arsenic, cadmium) in the soil all exceeded the Chinese environmental standard (GB36600-2018, Grade II), that the maximum contamination concentration (cadmium, Cd) of the groundwater exceeded the Chinese environmental standard (GB14848−2017, Grade IV), and that the heavy metal pollution was mainly concentrated in the production area of the site and the waste-residue stockpiles. The total carcinogenic risk and non-carcinogenic hazard quotient of the site’s soil heavy metal contaminants exceed the human acceptable limit, and there is a human health risk. However, the groundwater in the area where the site is located is prohibited from exploitation, and there is no volatility of the contaminants and no exposure pathway to the groundwater, so there is no risk to human health. The simulation prediction results show that, with the passage of time, the site groundwater pollutants as a whole migrate from south to north, affecting the northern surface water bodies after about 12 years, and there is a high ecological and environmental risk. The above findings provide a scientific basis for the study of the soil and groundwater at the riverside contaminated site.
Record ID
Keywords
ecological risk, heavy metals, human-health risk, numerical simulation
Subject
Suggested Citation
Luo D, Liang Y, Wu H, Li S, He Y, Du J, Chen X, Pu S. Human-Health and Environmental Risks of Heavy Metal Contamination in Soil and Groundwater at a Riverside Site, China. (2023). LAPSE:2023.4695
Author Affiliations
Luo D: Guangxi Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Nanning 530022, China; State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610051, China
Liang Y: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610051, China
Wu H: Guangxi Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Nanning 530022, China
Li S: Guangxi Bossco Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Nanning 530000, China
He Y: Guangxi Bossco Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Nanning 530000, China
Du J: Guangxi Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Nanning 530022, China
Chen X: Guangxi Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Nanning 530022, China
Pu S: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610051, China
Liang Y: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610051, China
Wu H: Guangxi Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Nanning 530022, China
Li S: Guangxi Bossco Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Nanning 530000, China
He Y: Guangxi Bossco Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Nanning 530000, China
Du J: Guangxi Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Nanning 530022, China
Chen X: Guangxi Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Nanning 530022, China
Pu S: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610051, China
Journal Name
Processes
Volume
10
Issue
10
First Page
1994
Year
2022
Publication Date
2022-10-02
ISSN
2227-9717
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PII: pr10101994, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2023.4695
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https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10101994
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