Source and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soil–Ginger System in the Jing River Basin of Shandong Province, North China

Songtao Wang, Zongjun Gao, Yuqi Zhang, Hairui Zhang, Zhen Wu, Bing Jiang, Yang Liu and Hongzhi Dong
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Songtao Wang: The Fourth Geological Brigade of Shandong Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Weifang 261021, China
Zongjun Gao: College of Earth Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China
Yuqi Zhang: College of Earth Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China
Hairui Zhang: The Fourth Geological Brigade of Shandong Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Weifang 261021, China
Zhen Wu: The Fourth Geological Brigade of Shandong Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Weifang 261021, China
Bing Jiang: The Fourth Geological Brigade of Shandong Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Weifang 261021, China
Yang Liu: The Fourth Geological Brigade of Shandong Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Weifang 261021, China
Hongzhi Dong: College of Earth Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-12

Abstract: This study investigated the characteristics and sources of heavy metals in a soil–ginger system and assessed their health risks. To this end, 321 topsoil samples and eight soil samples from a soil profile, and 18 ginger samples with root–soil were collected from a ginger-planting area in the Jing River Basin. The average concentration of heavy metals in the topsoil followed the order: Cr > Zn > Pb > Ni > Cu > As > Cd > Hg. In the soil profile, at depths greater than 80 cm, the contents of Cr, Ni, and Zn tended to increase with depth, which may be related to the parent materials, whereas As and Cu contents showed little change. In contrast, Pb content decreased sharply from top to bottom, which may be attributable to external environmental and anthropogenic factors. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd contents in soil are affected by natural sources, Pb and As contents are significantly affected by human activities, and Hg content is affected by farmland irrigation. Combined results of the single pollution index ( P i ), geo-accumulation index ( I geo ), and potential ecological risk assessment ( E i and RI ) suggest that soil in the study area is generally not polluted by heavy metals. In ginger, Zn content was the highest (2.36 mg/kg) and Hg content was the lowest (0.0015 mg/kg). Based on the bioconcentration factor, Cd and Zn have high potential for enrichment in ginger. With reference to the limit of heavy metals in tubers, Cr content in ginger exceeds the standard in the study area. Although Cr does not accumulate in ginger, Cr enrichment in soil significantly increases the risk of excessive Cr content in ginger.

Keywords: heavy metals; soil; ginger; health risk assessment; Jing River Basin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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