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Occurrence, sources and health risks of toxic metal(loid)s in road dust from a mega city (Nanjing) in China
2020
Wang, Xiaoyu | Liu, Enfeng | Lin, Qi | Liu, Lin | Yuan, Hezhong | Li, Zijun
Potential toxic metal(loid)s (PTMs) in road dust are a major concern in relation to urban environmental quality. Identifying pollution hotspots and sources of PTMs is an essential prerequisite for pollution control and management. Herein, the concentrations, pollution and potential health risks of 8 PTMs (As, Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, Mo, Pb and Zn) in road dust from the highly urbanized areas of Nanjing were studied. Spatial occurrences and sources of PTMs were explored using geostatistics, principal component analysis (PCA) and local Moran’s index. The contamination factor (CF) results showed that Co was mainly natural in origin, while the other PTMs were polluted, with average CFs ranging from 1.4 to 11.0 as follows: Hg > Mo > Cd > Cu > Pb > Zn > As, indicating moderate to very high contamination. Except for Co and Hg, the other PTMs were heavily loaded on PC1, which explained 44.72% of the total variance. Combining the statistical results and distributions of potential sources, we deduced that industrial emissions dominated the spatial patterns of all polluted PTMs in road dust, which showed high levels in the northern parts of the study region and generally decreasing levels southwards. Moreover, Pb and Zn in the south-central area and Cd in the north-central area displayed hotspots, with maximum CFs of 5.5 (Pb), 4.2 (Zn) and 16.2 (Cd), which were related to additional automotive and railway braking emissions, respectively. The resuspension of legacy pesticides in soil is likely responsible for the As pollution hotspot in the southwestern part. Despite the high anthropogenic contributions (27% for As and 68–88% for the other metals) to the PTMs in road dust, their noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks were rarely found for children and adults based on the values of the hazard index and carcinogenic risk index. However, attention still should be paid to the pollution hotspots in the northern region.
Показать больше [+] Меньше [-]Maize roots and shoots show distinct profiles of oxidative stress and antioxidant defense under heavy metal toxicity
2020
AbdElgawad, Hamada | Zinta, Gaurav | Hamed, Badreldin A. | Selim, Samy | Beemster, Gerrit | Hozzein, Wael N. | Wadaan, Mohammed A.M. | Asard, Han | Abuelsoud, Walid
Heavy metal accumulation in agricultural land causes crop production losses worldwide. Metal homeostasis within cells is tightly regulated. However, homeostasis breakdown leads to accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Overall plant fitness under stressful environment is determined by coordination between roots and shoots. But little is known about organ specific responses to heavy metals, whether it depends on the metal category (redox or non-redox reactive) and if these responses are associated with heavy metal accumulation in each organ or there are driven by other signals. Maize seedlings were subjected to sub-lethal concentrations of four metals (Zn, Ni, Cd and Cu) individually, and were quantified for growth, ABA level, and redox alterations in roots, mature leaves (L1,2) and young leaves (L3,4) at 14 and 21 days after sowing (DAS). The treatments caused significant increase in endogenous metal levels in all organs but to different degrees, where roots showed the highest levels. Biomass was significantly reduced under heavy metal stress. Although old leaves accumulated less heavy metal content than root, the reduction in their biomass (FW) was more pronounced. Metal exposure triggered ABA accumulation and stomatal closure mainly in older leaves, which consequently reduced photosynthesis. Heavy metals induced oxidative stress in the maize organs, but to different degrees. Tocopherols, polyphenols and flavonoids increased specifically in the shoot under Zn, Ni and Cu, while under Cd treatment they played a minor role. Under Cu and Cd stress, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) activities were induced in the roots, however ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity was only increased in the older leaves. Overall, it can be concluded that root and shoot organs specific responses to heavy metal toxicity are not only associated with heavy metal accumulation and they are specialized at the level of antioxidants to cope with.
Показать больше [+] Меньше [-]Arsenic enrichment in groundwater and associated health risk in Bari doab region of Indus basin, Punjab, India
2020
Kumar, Anand | Singh, Chander Kumar
Contaminated groundwater is considered as one of the most important pathways of human exposure to the geogenic contaminants. Present study has been conducted in a part of Indus basin to investigate the presence and spatial distribution of arsenic (As) and other trace metals in groundwater. The As concentration varies from bdl-255.6 μg/L and 24.6% of the 73 collected groundwater samples have As above world health organization (WHO) guideline of 10 μg/L. High concentration of As is found along the newer alluvium of Ravi River. As is found with high bicarbonate (HCO3−) and Iron (Fe) and low nitrate (NO3−) indicating reductive dissolution of Fe bearing minerals. However, silicate weathering along with high sulphate (SO42) and positive oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) indicates mixed redox conditions. Weathering of minerals along with other major hydrogeochemical process are responsible for composition of groundwater. With 31.5% of the samples, sodium bicarbonate (Na–HCO3) is the major water facies followed by magnesium bicarbonate (Mg–HCO3) in 30% of samples. As, Fe and other trace metals including copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn) were used to calculate the health risk for children and adults in the region. Out of 73 samples, 58% has high Fe, 32.8% has high Zn, and 4.1% has high Cd which are above the prescribed limits of WHO guidelines. Health risk of the population has been assessed using chronic dose index (CDI), hazardous quotients (HQ) and hazardous index (HI) for children and adults. The mean CDI values follows the order as Fe > Zn > Cu > As > Cr > Cd, while the HQ values indicates high As hazards for both children and adults. 43.8% of the groundwater samples have high HI for adults, however, 49.3% has high HI for children indicating higher risk for children compared to adults. A large-scale testing should be prioritized to test the wells for As and other trace metals in the study region to reduce health risks.
Показать больше [+] Меньше [-]Thermal discharge influences the bioaccumulation and bioavailability of metals in oysters: Implications of ocean warming
2020
Lan, Wang-Rong | Huang, Xu-Guang | Lin, Lu-xiu | Li, Shun-Xing | Liu, Feng-Jiao
Human-induced temperature changes influence coastal regions, both via thermal pollution and ocean warming, which exerts profound effects on the chemistry of metals and the physiology of organisms. However, it remains unknown whether the increased temperature of discharged water or ocean warming, as a result of climate change, lead to an increase of human health risks associated with the consumption of sea foods. In this study, the influence of temperature on metal accumulation by oysters was studied in individuals collected from a coastal area affected by the thermal water discharge of the Houshi Power Plant, China. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) and oral bioavailability (OBA) of metals in oysters was determined. Elevated temperatures led to an increase in BAF for Cu, Zn, Hg, and Cd (p < 0.05), but no change was observed for As and Pb (p > 0.05). The OBA for Cd, As, and Pb correlated positively to elevated temperatures (p < 0.05). However, for Cu and Zn, OBA was negatively correlated with increasing temperature (p < 0.05). As, Pb, and Cd in the trophically available metal (defined as a sum of heat-stable proteins, heat-denaturable proteins, and organelles) was significantly elevated at the highest temperature seawater site (site A) compared to the lowest seawater site (site B). Thus, the irregular variation of OBA for each metal may be the result of variations in the subcellular distribution of metals and the protein quality influenced by the increased temperature. Moreover, the increased temperature and increased the hazard quotient values of As and Cd (p < 0.05 for As, n = 6, p < 0.05 for Cd, n = 6), which provided an indication of the potential risks of the consumption of oysters or other seafood to future warming under climate change scenarios.
Показать больше [+] Меньше [-]Trace elements in shellfish from Shenzhen, China: Implication of coastal water pollution and human exposure
2020
Liu, Shan | Liu, Yanling | Yang, Dongfeng | Li, Chun | Zhao, Yang | Ma, Huimin | Luo, Xianru | Lu, Shaoyou
Shellfish constitute an important component of human diet, especially for those living in coastal regions. Shellfish have attracted extensive attention due to high enrichment of heavy metals. The aims of this study were to investigate the levels of trace elements in shellfish from coastal waters of Shenzhen, China and to assess human intake risks. Nine elements, including chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) were measured in 216 shellfish samples from eight species. Their concentrations (based on wet weight) were: Cr (0.28–21.4 mg kg⁻¹), Cu (1.40–158 mg kg⁻¹), Fe (16.5–5387 mg kg⁻¹), Zn (11.1–847 mg kg⁻¹), Mn (1.33–422 mg kg⁻¹), Se (0.15–11.8 mg kg⁻¹), Cd (0.02–18.4 mg kg⁻¹), Pb (<LOQ-10.9 mg kg⁻¹) and As (2.24–95.5 mg kg⁻¹), relatively greater than those reported in shellfish from other locations of China. Crassostrea ariakensis and Babylonia areolata were found to enrich As and Cd, respectively. The target hazard quotient (THQ) values of Cd and As were more than 1, suggesting considerable health risks from the consumption of shellfish of this zone. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the human risk exposure to trace elements via shellfish consumption in South China.
Показать больше [+] Меньше [-]Variations of PCDD/Fs emissions from secondary nonferrous smelting plants and towards to their source emission reduction
2020
Yang, Yuanping | Wu, Guanglong | Jiang, Cheng | Zheng, Minghui | Yang, Lili | Xie, Jiahong | Wang, Qingjie | Wang, Minxiang | Li, Cui | Liu, Guorui
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) are cancerogenic organic pollutants that priority controlled by Stockholm Convention with globally 183 signatories now. Secondary nonferrous smelting plants are confirmed to be important sources in China due to its large industrial activities and high emissions of PCDD/Fs. It is important to prioritize source to achieve source emission reduction by conducting field monitoring on typical case plants. Here, the emission profiles and levels of PCDD/Fs were investigated in 25 stack gas samples collected from three secondary copper production (SeCu), two secondary zinc production (SeZn) and two secondary lead production (SePb). Both average mass concentration and toxic equivalency quantity (TEQ) concentrations of PCDD/Fs all generally decreased in the order: SeCu > SeZn > SePb. It is noteworthy that the mean TEQ concentration in stack gas from SeCu with oxygen-enrich melting furnace technology, at 2.7 ng I-TEQ/Nm³, was much higher than the concentrations of other smelting processes. The average emission factors and annual release amounts of PCDD/Fs from SeCu, SePb and SeZn investigated were 28.4, 1.5, 10.4 μg I-TEQ/t and 1.03, 0.023, 0.17 g I-TEQ/year, respectively. The ratios of 2,3,7,8-TCDF to 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF and OCDD to 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD varied to large extent for three metal smelting, which could be used as diagnostic ratios of tracing specific PCDD/Fs sources. Addition of copper-containing sludge into the raw materials might lead to higher PCDD/Fs emissions. It is important to emphasize and reduce the PCDD/Fs emissions from oxygen-enrich melting furnace from secondary copper productions.
Показать больше [+] Меньше [-]Risk assessment of using fish from different types of reservoirs as human food – A study on European perch (Perca fluviatilis)
2020
Nikolić, Dušan | Skorić, Stefan | Lenhardt, Mirjana | Hegediš, Aleksandar | Krpo-Ćetković, Jasmina
Concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn in sediment samples and muscle tissue of the European perch were analyzed using inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), with the aim to assess the potential ecological (RI) and human health risk, and the degree of contamination (Cd) of three types of reservoirs in Serbia, based on their purpose: electricity generation (Vlasina, Perućac, Zaovine, and Međuvršje), drinking water supply (Garaši), and recreation (Lake Sava). The concentrations of the studied elements were higher in sediments than in fish. However, the levels of Cd in fish caught in Vlasina, Zaovine, and Međuvršje, Hg in Perućac and Garaši, and Pb in Lake Sava exceeded the maximum allowed concentrations. The pollution load index (PLI) indicated that sediments in all six reservoirs were contaminated, but Cd was low; a moderate contamination with Cd was observed in Vlasina, Perućac, and Zaovine, Cr in Zaovine and Međuvršje, and Cu in Međuvršje. A low RI was recorded for all studied reservoirs. Cd was found to be the primary contamination and ecological risk factor. Total target hazard quotient (THQ) and target carcinogenic risk factor (TR) were higher for fishers operating in these reservoirs than for the general population. Higher values of PLI, Cd, RI, and TR were observed in electricity generation reservoirs. Results indicated that this type of reservoirs suffer from higher anthropogenic pressure and/or have a worse pollution management policy compared with other types of reservoirs included in this study, especially the drinking water supply reservoir.
Показать больше [+] Меньше [-]Identification of the sources and influencing factors of potentially toxic elements accumulation in the soil from a typical karst region in Guangxi, Southwest China
2020
Jia, Zhenyi | Wang, Junxiao | Zhou, Xiaodan | Su, San | Li, Yan | Li, Baojie | Zhou, Shenglu
Southwestern China contains the largest and most well-developed karst region in the world, and the potentially toxic elements (PTEs) content in the soils of the region is remarkably high. To explore the internal and external control factors and sources of soil PTEs enrichment in this area and to provide a basis for the treatment of PTE pollution, 113 soil samples were collected from Hengxian County, a karst region in Guangxi Province, southwestern China. The importance of eighteen influencing factors including parent material, weathering, physicochemical properties, topography and human activities were quantitatively analyzed by (partial) redundancy analysis. The sources of PTEs were identified using the Pb isotope ratio and absolute principal component score/multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) model. The contents of all soil PTEs were higher than the corresponding background values of Guangxi soils. The contents in Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb were the highest in the soil from carbonate rock. The factor group of geological background and weathering explained 26.5% for the accumulation and distribution of soil PTEs and the influence of physicochemical properties was less than 2% but increased to 25.6% through interaction with weathering. Fe (47.1%), Al (42.1%), Mn (22%), chemical index of alteration (12.8%) and clay (11.9%) were the key factors affecting the soil PTEs, while the influence of human activities was weak. Pb isotope ratio and APCS-MLR classified 62.8–74% of soil PTEs as derived from natural sources, whereas 18.23% and 18.95% were derived from industrial activities and agricultural practice/traffic emissions, respectively. The Pb isotope ratio showed that the natural sources account for up to 90% of the Pb in the soil from carbonate rock, the highest contribution among the studied soils. The results of the study can provide background information on the soil PTEs contamination in the karst areas of China and other areas worldwide.
Показать больше [+] Меньше [-]Elucidating the differentiation of soil heavy metals under different land uses with geographically weighted regression and self-organizing map
2020
Wang, Zhan | Xiao, Jun | Wang, Lingqing | Liang, Tao | Guo, Qingjun | Guan, Yunlan | Rinklebe, Jörg
Intensive anthropogenic activity has triggered serious heavy metal contamination of soil. Land use and land cover (LULC) changes bear significant impacts, either directly or indirectly, on the distribution of heavy metal in soils. A total of 180 samples were acquired from various land covers at different depths, namely surface soils (020 cm) and subsurface soils (20–40 cm). Spatial interpolation, geographically weighted regression (GWR) and self-organizing map (SOM) were used to discern how variations in the spatial distributions of soil heavy metals were caused by human activities for different land uses, and how these pollutants contributed to environmental risks. The medium concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn in surface soil all exceeded the corresponding local background values in flat cropland and developed area soil. The overall ecological risk level of the study varied from low to medium. The GWR model indicated that the land use intensity had a certain influence on the accumulation of heavy metals in the surface soil. K-means clustering of the SOM revealed that the type of LULC also contributed to the redistribution of heavy metals in the surface soil.
Показать больше [+] Меньше [-]Health risk assessment of metal(loid)s in soil and particulate matter from industrialized regions: A multidisciplinary approach
2020
Francová, Anna | Chrastný, Vladislav | Vítková, Martina | Šillerová, Hana | Komárek, Michael
In this study, samples of soil and particulate matter obtained from the highly industrialized region of Ostrava, Czech Republic, are used for the toxicity evaluation of the selected metal(loid)s (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, As). We investigated the samples from sites supposedly affected the most by the local pollution sources using mineralogical techniques (XRD, SEM/EDS) to understand the solid speciation of the contaminants as the crucial factor affecting their release. Although the bulk composition was defined by common silicates and oxides that are rather resistant to leaching, the presence of tiny Ni, Pb, and/or Zn sulfate-like droplets indicated a potential increase of the solubility of these metals. In vitro tests simulating gastric and lung fluids were used to assess the exposure risk for humans, as well as metal(loid) bioaccessibility. Based on the results, the potential risk for the observed age group (3-year-old children) could be recognized, particularly in the cases of As, Pb and Cd for both oral and inhalation exposure. Arsenic exhibits high bioaccessibility (7.13–79.7%, with the median values of 10.6 and 15.6 for SGL and SLF, respectively), high daily intake (1.4- to 8.5-fold higher than the tolerable daily intake) and high concentrations in atmospheric PM₁₀ (2.5 times the tolerable concentration in air). In contrast, Ni exceeded tolerable concentrations in the atmosphere up to 20-fold, but its bioaccessibility remained relatively low (0.1–22%), and Ni did not pose a major threat to human health. Cadmium, Pb and As originating from industrial activities and domestic heating have been suggested to be the most important pollutants (tolerable daily intake was exceeded by up to 74-, 34- and 8-fold for Cd, Pb and As, respectively).
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