Effects of Land-Use Patterns on Heavy Metal Pollution and Health Risk in the Surface Water of the Nandu River, China

Changchao Chen, Wen Zhang, Ping Li (), Yuanhao Ma, Longru Liang, Wanman Wu, Jianlei Li and Xiaoshan Zhu
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Changchao Chen: School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Wen Zhang: College of Life Science, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
Ping Li: School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Yuanhao Ma: School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Longru Liang: School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Wanman Wu: School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Jianlei Li: School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Xiaoshan Zhu: School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-17

Abstract: Rapid land-use changes have significantly changed the occurrence of heavy metals (HMs) in tropical watershed systems. However, the influence of land-use patterns on the spatial and temporal distribution of HMs in tropical river systems remains poorly understood. This study aims to explore the relationship between land-use types and HM pollution in the China’s largest tropical watershed, the Nandu River. Eight heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Hg, and Sb) in the surface water were monitored across river, estuary, and nearshore zones during wet and dry seasons. Our findings show a higher total concentration of eight heavy metals (ΣHMs) in the wet season (30.52 μg/L) compared to the dry season (21.53 μg/L). In the wet season, ΣHM concentrations followed the order: estuary (70.96 μg/L) > basin (31.03 μg/L) > nearshore (8.07 μg/L). In the dry season, it was basin (31.56 μg/L) > estuary (23.26 μg/L) > nearshore (7.49 μg/L). Land-use patterns had higher interpretation rates for HM distribution in the dry season (65.8–73.0%) compared to the wet season (31.0–42.4%). The 2000 m buffer zone had a greater impact on HM distribution than the 500 m and 1000 m zones. Agricultural land and construction areas were the primary contributors to HM pollution in the dry and wet seasons, respectively. Noteworthy, in the river basin, chromium (Cr) presented carcinogenic risks to both children and adults through ingestion in both seasons and arsenic (As) posed a risk to children in the dry season. This study provides valuable insights for the sustainable management of land use and improving river water quality by highlighting the relationship between land use and HM contamination in tropical river ecosystems.

Keywords: heavy metals; surface water; tropical river system; sustainable land-use management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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