Understanding the Association between Environmental Factors and Longevity in Hechi, China: A Drinking Water and Soil Quality Perspective

Qucheng Deng, Lijuan Chen, Yongping Wei, Yonghua Li, Xuerong Han, Wei Liang, Yinjun Zhao, Xiaofei Wang and Juan Yin
Additional contact information
Qucheng Deng: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, the University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
Lijuan Chen: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, the University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
Yongping Wei: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, the University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
Yonghua Li: Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Xuerong Han: Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Environmental Monitoring Center, Nanning 530028, China
Wei Liang: Guangxi Environmental Information Center, Nanning 530028, China
Yinjun Zhao: Key laboratory of Environmental Change and Resources Use in Beibu Gulf, Guangxi Teachers Education University, The Ministry of Education, Nanning 530001, China
Xiaofei Wang: Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Environmental Monitoring Center, Nanning 530028, China
Juan Yin: Department of Management Science and Engineering, Guangxi University of Finance and Economics, Nanning 530003, China

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-17

Abstract: The aging population is a big challenge all over the world. However, there are few studies to date investigating the effects of trace element and mineral levels in drinking water and soil (especially in karst areas) on longevity. This study aims to examine temporal and spatial variations in longevity in Hechi (which is recognized as a longevity city) and to investigate relationships between longevity and trace element and mineral levels in drinking water and soils in this city (the karst landscape). Population data were collected from relevant literature and four national population censuses in 1982, 1990, 2000 and 2010. Drinking water and soil samples from Hechi were collected and analyzed. The results demonstrated an obvious clustered distribution for the longevity population in Hechi that has existed stably for decades. The longevity index tended to be significantly positively correlated with H 2 SiO 3 , Ca and Fe in drinking water and significantly negatively correlated with Sr in soil, indicating that drinking water characteristics contributed significantly to the observed regional longevity. The karst landscape is responsible for abundant trace elements in underground rivers in Hechi, which are beneficial to human health when consumed as drinking water. Good quality and slightly alkaline drinking water rich in trace elements such as H 2 SiO 3 , Ca, Fe, Na, Mg and low in heavy metals such as Pb and Cd might be an important factor contributing to the longevity phenomenon in Hechi.

Keywords: Hechi; regional longevity; drinking water; soil; trace element (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/10/2272/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/10/2272/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:10:p:2272-:d:176116

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().