Journal
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
Volume 402, Issue 2-3, Pages 149-156Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.04.043
Keywords
heavy metals; rural surface soils; spatial distribution; mental retardation and developmental delay; neurotoxicity; soil contamination
Categories
Funding
- National institutes of Health
- National institute of Environmental Health Sciences [R01 ES012895-01A1]
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Rural areas are often considered to have relatively uncontaminated soils; however few studies have measured metals in surface soil from low population areas. Many metals, i.e., arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg), have well-documented negative neurological effects, and the developing fetus and young children are particularly at risk. Using a Medicaid database, two areas were identified: one with no increased prevalence of mental retardation and developmental delay (MR/DD) (Strip 1) and one with significantly higher prevalence of MR/DD (Strip 2) in children compared to the state-wide average. These areas were mapped and surface soil samples were collected from 0-5 cm depths from nodes of a uniform grid laid out across the sampling areas. Samples were analyzed for As, barium (Ba), beryllium (Be), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), Pb, manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), and Hg. inverse distance weighting (IDW) was used to estimate concentrations throughout each strip area, and a principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify common sources. All metal concentrations in Strip 2, the MR/DD cluster area, were significantly greater than those in Strip 1 and similar to those found in more urban and highly agricultural areas. Both Strips 1 and 2 had a high number of significant correlations between metals (33 for Strip 1 and 25 for Strip 2), suggesting possible similar natural or anthropogenic sources which was corroborated by PICA. While exposures were not assessed and direct causation between environmental soil metal concentrations and MR/DD cannot be concluded, the high metal concentrations in areas with an elevated prevalence of MR/DD warrants further consideration. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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