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Volume 13
Issue 12
10.3390/toxics13121073
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Article

Priority Control of Agricultural and Traffic Sources of Soil Heavy Metals: An Integrated Source-Oriented Risk Assessment in the Drawdown Zone of the Danjiangkou Reservoir

by
Houkuan Ding
1,2,3,
Dahai Zeng
1,2,3,
Yunni Gao
1,2,3,*,
Xucong Lyu
1,2,3,
Jialin Jin
1,2,3,
Huatao Yuan
1,2,3,
Jingxiao Zhang
1,2,3,
Jing Dong
1,2,3,
Xiaofei Gao
1,2,3,
Penghui Zhu
1,2,3,
Xuejun Li
1,2,3 and
Michele Burford
4
1
College of Fisheries, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China
2
Observation and Research Station on Water Ecosystem in Danjiangkou Reservoir of Henan Province, Nanyang 474450, China
3
The National Ecological Quality Comprehensive Monitoring Station (Hebi Station), Hebi 458000, China
4
Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, 68 University Dr, Meadowbrook, QLD 4131, Australia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Toxics 2025, 13(12), 1073; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13121073 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 20 November 2025 / Revised: 10 December 2025 / Accepted: 11 December 2025 / Published: 13 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pollutants in Soil and Groundwater, Effects and Strategies for Comprehensive Risk Assessment)
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Abstract

In recent years, the public environmental protection consciousness has improved regarding the source of drinking water. However, the risk status and sources of heavy metals (HMs) in the soil around drinking water sources remain unclear. The typical Drawdown Zone (DZ) of Danjiangkou Reservoir is taken as an example in this study. Pollution levels of HMs and associated ecological and human health risks were evaluated under four land-use types during the low-water-level period. The sources of 10 HMs were determined using the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model and correlation analysis. Quantitative source-oriented risk identification was then conducted by integrating risk characteristics with source apportionment. The results indicate that soils in the study area are generally slightly polluted, with comprehensive potential ecological risks at a medium level. Farmland soils exhibit the highest pollution and ecological risk levels, particularly for Hg and Cd. Our Monte Carlo simulation-based human health risk assessment shows that, compared with non-carcinogenic risks, carcinogenic risks should be given further attention. Farmland poses higher health risks than other land-use types, and children are more vulnerable than adults. Four main sources were identified: transportation sources (29.5%), agricultural activities (32%), natural sources (19.3%), and atmospheric deposition (19.2%). The source-oriented risk assessment indicates that agricultural activities are the priority control source for ecological risks (64.7%), with Hg as the primary control element. Transportation and agricultural sources are the primary contributors to carcinogenic risks in children (57.1%) and adults (57.1%), with Ni as the primary control element.
Keywords: drawdown zone; land-use types; heavy metals; ecological risks; human health risks; source-oriented risks drawdown zone; land-use types; heavy metals; ecological risks; human health risks; source-oriented risks
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MDPI and ACS Style

Ding, H.; Zeng, D.; Gao, Y.; Lyu, X.; Jin, J.; Yuan, H.; Zhang, J.; Dong, J.; Gao, X.; Zhu, P.; et al. Priority Control of Agricultural and Traffic Sources of Soil Heavy Metals: An Integrated Source-Oriented Risk Assessment in the Drawdown Zone of the Danjiangkou Reservoir. Toxics 2025, 13, 1073. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13121073

AMA Style

Ding H, Zeng D, Gao Y, Lyu X, Jin J, Yuan H, Zhang J, Dong J, Gao X, Zhu P, et al. Priority Control of Agricultural and Traffic Sources of Soil Heavy Metals: An Integrated Source-Oriented Risk Assessment in the Drawdown Zone of the Danjiangkou Reservoir. Toxics. 2025; 13(12):1073. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13121073

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ding, Houkuan, Dahai Zeng, Yunni Gao, Xucong Lyu, Jialin Jin, Huatao Yuan, Jingxiao Zhang, Jing Dong, Xiaofei Gao, Penghui Zhu, and et al. 2025. "Priority Control of Agricultural and Traffic Sources of Soil Heavy Metals: An Integrated Source-Oriented Risk Assessment in the Drawdown Zone of the Danjiangkou Reservoir" Toxics 13, no. 12: 1073. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13121073

APA Style

Ding, H., Zeng, D., Gao, Y., Lyu, X., Jin, J., Yuan, H., Zhang, J., Dong, J., Gao, X., Zhu, P., Li, X., & Burford, M. (2025). Priority Control of Agricultural and Traffic Sources of Soil Heavy Metals: An Integrated Source-Oriented Risk Assessment in the Drawdown Zone of the Danjiangkou Reservoir. Toxics, 13(12), 1073. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13121073

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