Time-Space Simulation, Health Risk Warning and Policy Recommendations of Environmental Capacity for Heavy Metals in the Pearl River Basin, China

Feng Liang, Yujie Pan, Hongxia Peng, Min Zeng and Changsheng Huang
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Feng Liang: Department of Primary Education, Normal College of Jishou University, Jishou 416000, China
Yujie Pan: College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Hongxia Peng: Department of Geography, School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Min Zeng: Wuhan Geological Survey Center of China Geological Survey, Wuhan 430205, China
Changsheng Huang: Wuhan Geological Survey Center of China Geological Survey, Wuhan 430205, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-17

Abstract: In China, the environmental capacity problem of heavy metals has long been hidden in the Pearl River Basin creating a contradiction between the economic development and environmental health. Thus, this research calculated the environmental capacity of heavy metals in the agricultural land of the urban agglomeration in the Pearl River Basin, evaluated the health risk warning capacity using a comprehensive index. The results showed that the static capacity order of heavy metals in the study area was As > Pb > Zn > Cr > Hg > Cu > Ni > Cd. The dynamic capacity showed an upward trend, and it fluctuated in some cities. The remaining capacity of Cr and Ni was relatively poor, and the comprehensive soil quality index of the Pearl River Basin was 0.64. The pollution level was of grade IV, which belongs to the medium capacity, but the soil pollution risk still existed, which threaten the health of local resident. In this regard, this study also put forward some countermeasures for pollution control. Thus, studying the soil heavy metal environmental capacity can provide a reference for heavy metal pollution control and health risk early warning in the Pearl River Basin.

Keywords: heavy metals; environmental capacity; health risk warning; Pearl River Basin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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