Characteristics and Risk Assessment of Soil Polluted by Lead around Various Metal Mines in China

Jing Shi, Ping Du, Huilong Luo, Juan Chen, Yunhui Zhang, Minghong Wu and Gang Xu
Additional contact information
Jing Shi: School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
Ping Du: Technical Centre for Soil, Agriculture and Rural Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Beijing 100012, China
Huilong Luo: Technical Centre for Soil, Agriculture and Rural Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Beijing 100012, China
Juan Chen: Technical Centre for Soil, Agriculture and Rural Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Beijing 100012, China
Yunhui Zhang: Technical Centre for Soil, Agriculture and Rural Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Beijing 100012, China
Minghong Wu: School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
Gang Xu: School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 9, 1-9

Abstract: The contamination of soil by lead (Pb) is a serious and widespread problem in China, especially in mining areas. This paper summarized the available data regarding Pb-contaminated soils around various metal mines in China. Based on these data, the Pb concentration in the soil and its temporal and spatial changes were analyzed. Potential ecological hazards and adult lead models were also used to estimate ecological and health risks. The results indicated that the concentration of Pb was closely related with the type of mine. Compared with other types of mine, soil around lead-zinc (Pb-Zn) and tin (Sn) mines with high Pb contents in the metallic ores and high pollutant emission coefficient were more strongly polluted by Pb. The characteristic spatial and temporal variations of Pb pollution status in China were clarified, and the results showed that the concentration was high in the southern, southwestern, and central regions of China where many mining areas were located, and the mean value passed a turning point in 2012. Ecological risk assessments indicated that some areas around mines were at considerable to high risk, and the risk was relatively severe in Pb-Zn mining areas. According to the adult lead model, Pb-Zn mines had a greater impact on blood Pb concentration than the other types of mine.

Keywords: blood lead level; ecological risk; metal mine; pollution characteristics; soil lead (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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