Journal
HUMAN AND ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT
Volume 22, Issue 1, Pages 211-225Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC
DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1057102
Keywords
heavy metals; soil spatial variability; health risk assessment; Monte Carlo simulation; sensitivity analysis
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Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [41101491, U1202236]
- Special Research Foundation of the Public Natural Resource Management Department from Ministry of Environmental Protection of China [201409044]
- frontier project of the knowledge innovation engineering field of Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences [ISSASIP1106]
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Soil heavy metal contamination is a major environmental concern, and health risk associated with heavy metals is not fully explored. A combination of spatial analysis and Monte Carlo simulation was successfully used to identify the possible sources and health risk of cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), and copper (Cu) in soils collected from a rapidly developing region of China. It was found that mean concentrations of Cd (0.17mg/kg ), As (8.74mg/kg ), Hg (0.15mg/kg ), Pb (27.28mg/kg ), and Cu (33.32mg/kg ) were greater than the soil background values. Accumulation and spatial variability of heavy metals were significantly affected by anthropogenic activities and soil properties. The risk assessment indicated that non-carcinogenic risk was not significant. However, 95% of the total cumulative carcinogenic risk of children was greater than 1E-05, implying high potential carcinogenic risk with As and Pb representing the major contributors. Ingestion of heavy metals in the soils was the main exposure pathway compared with the inhalation and the dermal exposure. Concentration of heavy metals in the soils, particulate emission factor, and dermal exposure ratio were the major parameters affecting health risk. This study highlights the importance of assessment of soil direct exposure health risk in studying heavy metal exposures.
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