Potential Risk, Spatial Distribution, and Soil Identification of Potentially Toxic Elements in Lycium barbarum L. (Wolfberry) Fruits and Soil System in Ningxia, China

Tongning Zhou, Yan Wang, Jiaqi Qin, Siyuan Zhao, Deyan Cao, Meilin Zhu () and Yanxue Jiang ()
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Tongning Zhou: College of Public Health and Management, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Yan Wang: College of Public Health and Management, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Jiaqi Qin: College of Public Health and Management, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Siyuan Zhao: College of Public Health and Management, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Deyan Cao: College of Public Health and Management, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Meilin Zhu: College of Public Health and Management, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Yanxue Jiang: College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-16

Abstract: Eight potentially toxic elements (PTEs, including nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), and mercury (Hg)) in Lycium barbarum L. (wolfberries) and the associated root soil from a genuine producing area were analyzed. The potential ecological risk of PTEs in the soil and the health risk of PTEs through wolfberry consumption were determined. Geostatistical methods were used to predict the PTE concentrations in the wolfberries and soil. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied to identify the source of PTEs in the soil. The PTE concentrations in the soils were within the standard limits, and Cd in the wolfberries exceeded the standard limit at only one site. The bioconcentration factors (BCF) order for the different PTEs was Cd > Cu > 1 > Zn > Cr > As > Ni > Pb, indicating that Cd and Cu were highly accumulated in wolfberries. The multiple regression models for Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, and Cr concentrations in the wolfberries exhibited good correlations ( p < 0.1). The ecological risk for Hg in the soil was high, whereas the risks for the remaining PTEs were mostly medium or low. Health risks for inhabitants through wolfberry consumption were not obvious. The spatial distributions of the PTEs in the soil differed from the PTE concentrations in the wolfberries. Source identification results were in the order of natural source (48.2%) > industrial activity source (27.8%) > agricultural activity source (14.5%) > transportation source (9.5%). The present study can guide the site selection of wolfberry cultivation and ensure the safety of wolfberry products when considering PTE contamination.

Keywords: wolfberry–soil system; potentially toxic element; ecological risk; health risk; spatial distribution; source identification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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