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Volume 14
Issue 4
10.3390/min14040375
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Article

Enrichment Characteristics and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in a Farmland System with High Geochemical Background in the Black Shale Region of Zhejiang, China

by
Chao Wu
1,2,
Binbin Sun
1,2,*,
Mi Tian
1,2,*,
Xiaomeng Cheng
1,2,
Dong Liu
3 and
Yining Zhou
1,2
1
Key Laboratory of Geochemical Exploration, Institute of Geophysical and Geochemical Exploration, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Langfang 065000, China
2
UNESCO International Center on Global-Scale Geochemistry, Langfang 065000, China
3
Shanxi Geological Survey Institute Co., Ltd., Taiyuan 030000, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Minerals 2024, 14(4), 375; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14040375
Submission received: 4 March 2024 / Revised: 20 March 2024 / Accepted: 31 March 2024 / Published: 2 April 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal and Rare Earth Element Pollution in Soil and Water: Sources, Geochemical Behaviors and Ecological Effects)
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Abstract

Soils derived from black shale enriched in heavy metals pose risks to the environment and human health. Eighty sets of soil–rice samples were collected in northwest Zhejiang, China. The results showed significant enrichment of As, Cd, Pb, and Zn in the studied soil. Sequential extraction data indicated that Cd had relatively high bioavailability. Thirty-four percent of the rice samples exceeded the heavy metal pollution thresholds of national food safety standards. A comprehensive evaluation of soil heavy metals using the potential ecological risk index (RI) revealed low-to-moderate-grade risk. Risk assessment code (RAC) levels decreased as follows: Cd > Ni > Zn > Cr > Cu > Pb > As > Hg. The RAC of Cd was high and very high risk, whereas those of others were no or low risk. Cd was the major contributor to the environmental risk based on the total heavy metal concentration, toxicity, and chemical fractions. The health risk to the local populace was assessed using the method recommended by the USEPA. Local people may experience both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks, and children face greater health risks than adults. As, Cd, and Pb are the most significant contributors to non-carcinogenic health risks, and Cd is the main carcinogenic risk. In conclusion, special attention should be given to heavy metal pollution in black shale-derived soils.
Keywords: black shale; potentially toxic metals; sequential extraction analysis; pollution indices; risk assessments black shale; potentially toxic metals; sequential extraction analysis; pollution indices; risk assessments

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MDPI and ACS Style

Wu, C.; Sun, B.; Tian, M.; Cheng, X.; Liu, D.; Zhou, Y. Enrichment Characteristics and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in a Farmland System with High Geochemical Background in the Black Shale Region of Zhejiang, China. Minerals 2024, 14, 375. https://doi.org/10.3390/min14040375

AMA Style

Wu C, Sun B, Tian M, Cheng X, Liu D, Zhou Y. Enrichment Characteristics and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in a Farmland System with High Geochemical Background in the Black Shale Region of Zhejiang, China. Minerals. 2024; 14(4):375. https://doi.org/10.3390/min14040375

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wu, Chao, Binbin Sun, Mi Tian, Xiaomeng Cheng, Dong Liu, and Yining Zhou. 2024. "Enrichment Characteristics and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in a Farmland System with High Geochemical Background in the Black Shale Region of Zhejiang, China" Minerals 14, no. 4: 375. https://doi.org/10.3390/min14040375

APA Style

Wu, C., Sun, B., Tian, M., Cheng, X., Liu, D., & Zhou, Y. (2024). Enrichment Characteristics and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in a Farmland System with High Geochemical Background in the Black Shale Region of Zhejiang, China. Minerals, 14(4), 375. https://doi.org/10.3390/min14040375

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