Heavy metal pollution in water and soil and associated health risks in a tin mining region of Hunan Province, Central China

Abstract

To assess the effect of mining activity on heavy metal pollution and associated health risks in tin mining regions, water and soil sampling was conducted near a tin mining site in Hunan Province. The content and distribution of heavy metals were determined. Pollution, ecological risks, and potential health hazards were evaluated using the ground accumulation index, potential ecological risk index, and health risk assessment models, respectively. The results indicated elevated levels of heavy metals in water and soil samples compared to acceptable background values. Ground accumulation index assessment revealed extreme pollution of soil with As and Cd and moderate pollution with Cu, Pb, and Zn. Cr and Hg were categorized as non-pollutants. Water samples exhibited extreme pollution levels of Hg, Cr, Cd, and As; moderate pollution levels of Pb; and moderate to high pollution levels of Cu and Zn. The tin mining area demonstrated a significantly high level of potential ecological risk, where As and Cd were the primary risk elements in soil, whereas Cr, Cd, and As contributed predominantly to water ecological risk. The human health risk assessment highlighted As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, and Cu in water and As and Pb in soil as the principal non-carcinogenic factors. The primary carcinogenic factors were As, Cr, and Cd in water and As in soil, with As posing the greatest risk for non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic effects. Furthermore, oral intake was the primary exposure route, with children being particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of heavy metal pollution.

Keywords

Tin mine area / Heavy metal / Ecological risk / Health risks / Pollution degree / Risk evaluation / Environment geological survey / Ecological protection and restoration / Hunan Province

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Lan Wang: Conceptualization, methodology, data curation, writing- original draft preparation. Jian-feng Li: Field data collection, thesis supervision, writing-reviewing and editing; Xiu-wen Liu: Data collation and analysis; Li-xiao Feng: Data collation; All authors read and approved the final manuscript. All authors contributed to the study conception and design.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Open Fund of the Granite Formation Research Center of China Geological Survey (grant numbers PMGR202009, PMGR202108, PMGR202115) and the Geological Survey of China (grant number DD20190154). The authors thank the two anonymous reviewers and chief editor Zi-guo Hao for their detailed and professional suggestions, which greatly improved the depth and quality of this manuscript.

Data Availability Statement

The primary data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

References

[1] Chen ZY, Zhao YY, Chen DL, Huang HT, Zhao Y, Wu YJ. 2023. Ecological risk assessment and early warning of heavy metal cumulation in the soils near the Luanchuan molybdenum polymetallic mine concentration area, Henan Province, Central China. China Geology, 6(1), 15-26. doi: 10.31035/cg2023003.

[2] Förstner U, Ahlf W, Calmano W. 1993. Sediment quality objectives and criteria development in Germany. Water Science and Technology, 28(8-9), 307-316. doi: 10.2166/wst.1993.0629.

[3] Gao RZ, Zhang AL, Zhang S, Jia DB, Du DD, Qin ZY, Wang XX. 2019. Spatial distribution characteristics and potential ecological risk assessment of Cr,Hg and As in soils of the Salt Lake Basin in northwest China. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 39(7), 2532-2544 doi: 10.5846/stxb201711292142. (in Chinese with English abstract).

[4] Guo ZH, Zhu YG. 2004. Contamination and availabile contents of heavy metals in soils in the typical mining and smelting circumjacent districts. Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 13(4), 553-555 doi: 10.16258/j.cnki.1674-5906.2004.04.025. (in Chinese with English abstract).

[5] Hakanson L. 1980. An ecological risk index for aquatic pollution control. A sedimentological approach. Water Research, 14(8), 975-1001. doi: 10.1016/0043-1354(80)90143-8.

[6] He DM, Wang XF, Chen LJ, Su R. 2014. Assessment on heavy metals contaminations of Sugarcane soil in Guangxi Province by the geoaccumulation index and potential ecological risk index. Journal of Agricultural Resources and Environment, 31(02), 126-131 doi: 10.13254/j.jare.2014.0008. (in Chinese with English abstract).

[7] He Y, Zhang Q, Li H, Wang W, Hua J. 2024. Heavy metal pollution characteristics and systemic risk assessment of the environment around the tailings site. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 24(1), 217-229. doi: 10.1007/s11368-023-03588-7.

[8] Jiang CY, 2020. Heavy metal pollution in farmland soil and crops in a mining area in Hunan province and its health risk assessment. Changsha, Hunan Agricultural University, Master thesis, 1-61 (in Chinese with English abstract).

[9] Li Q, Li X, Bu C, Wu P. 2023. Distribution, risk assessment, and source apportionment of heavy metal pollution in cultivated soil of a typical mining area in Southwest China. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 42(4), 888-900. doi: 10.1002/etc.5586.

[10] Li JF, Lu YY, Zhang ZZ, Fu JM, Qin ZW. 2023. Research and prospecting progress of dayishan pluton in Nanling range. Earth Science, 48(10), 3707-3724 doi: 10.3799/dqkx.2021.242. (in Chinese with English abstract).

[11] Liu T, Liu CP, Deng J, Kang PY, Wang KK, Zhao YY. 2022. Ecological health risk assessment of soil heavy metals in eastern Yinan County, Shandong Province. Geology in China, 49(5), 1497-1508 doi: 10.12029/gc20220509. (in Chinese with English abstract).

[12] Lu J, Lu H, Lei K, Wang W, Guan Y. 2019. Trace metal element pollution of soil and water resources caused by small-scale metallic ore mining activities: A case study from a sphalerite mine in North China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26(24), 24630-24644. doi: 10.1007/s11356-019-05703-z.

[13] Mo J, Lei LQ, Shi ZH, Mo BJ. 2015. Heavy metal pollution comprehensive evaluation of oxide tailings in Shanhu tungsten-tin mine area of Guangxi. Nonferrous Metals Engineering, 5(4), 79-84 doi: 10.3969/j.issn.2095-1744.2015.04.019. (in Chinese with English abstract).

[14] Rehman IU, Ishaq M, Ali L, Khan S, Ahmad I, Din IU, Ullah H. 2018. Enrichment, spatial distribution of potential ecological and human health risk assessment via toxic metals in soil and surface water ingestion in the vicinity of Sewakht mines, district Chitral, Northern Pakistan. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 154, 127-136. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.02.033.

[15] Tan HW, Zhang G, Luo QJ, Miao Y, Chu JL, Chu LJ. 2023. Investigation and comprehensive treatment of heavy metal pollution in a nonferrous metal mining area. Mine Engineering, 11(3), 403-408 doi: 10.12677/me.2023.113050. (in Chinese with English abstract).

[16] Xu ZQ, Ni SJ, Tuo XG, Zhang CJ. 2008. Calculation of heavy metals' toxicity coefficient in the evaluation of potential ecological risk index. Environmental Science & Technology, 31(2), 112-115 doi: 10.19672/j.cnki.1003-6504.2008.02.030. (in Chinese with English abstract).

[17] Yu X, Song LT, Teng YG, 2016. Pollution analysis and ecological environment risk assessment of heavy metals in soils of a Pb-Zn mine in Hunan Province. Journal of Huazhong Agricultural University, 35(5), 27-32 doi:10.13300/j.cnki.hnlkxb.2016.05.004. (in Chinese with English abstract).

[18] Yu JY, Li BY, Zhou YM, Li YJ, Lei M. 2020. Pollution and risk assessment of heavy metal in agricultural soil around an abandon mine site in Hunan Province. Environmental Chemistry, 39(4), 1024-1030 doi: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2019040201. (in Chinese with English abstract).

[19] Wu YH, Zhou NQ, Wu ZJ, Lu SS, Cai Y. 2022. Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus coupling relationships and their influencing factors in the critical zone of Dongting Lake wetlands, China. Journal of Groundwater Science and Engineering, 10(3), 250-266 doi: 10.19637/j.cnki.2305-7068.2022.03.004. (in Chinese with English abstract).

[20] Wang CY, Zhang SR, Liu JH, Xing Y, Li MZ, Liu QX. 2021. Pollution level and risk assessment of heavy metals in a metal smelting area of Xiong'an New District. Geology in China, 48(06), 1697-1709 (in Chinese with English abstract).

[21] Zhang JD, Tian L, Pei SL. 2021. A discussion of soil and water pollution and control countermeasures in mining area of China. Hydrogeology & Engineering Geology, 48(2), 157-163 doi: 10.16030/j.cnki.issn.1000-3665.202003031. (in Chinese with English abstract).

[22] Zhang ZZ, Lin DY, Yu YS, Lu YY, Fu JM, Li JF, Qin ZW, Ma LY, Ning YY, Zhang JT. 2022. Implications to the Petrogenesis and Sn Mineralization of the Granite in the Tengshan' ao Sn deposit, the Nanling Metallogenic Belt. South China Geology, 38(3), 441-458 doi: 10.3969/j.issn.2097-0013.2022.03.007. (in Chinese with English abstract).