Source Apportionment and Ecological-Health Risk Assessments of Potentially Toxic Elements in Topsoil of an Agricultural Region in Southwest China
Soil potentially toxic element (PTE) contamination remains a global concern, particularly in rural agricultural regions. This study collected 157 agricultural topsoil samples within a rural area in SW China. Combined with multivariate statistical analysis in the compositional data analysis (CoDa) pe...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Yangshuang Wang Shiming Yang Denghui Wei Haidong Li Ming Luo Xiaoyan Zhao Yunhui Zhang Ying Wang |
| author_facet | Yangshuang Wang Shiming Yang Denghui Wei Haidong Li Ming Luo Xiaoyan Zhao Yunhui Zhang Ying Wang |
| author_sort | Yangshuang Wang |
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| description | Soil potentially toxic element (PTE) contamination remains a global concern, particularly in rural agricultural regions. This study collected 157 agricultural topsoil samples within a rural area in SW China. Combined with multivariate statistical analysis in the compositional data analysis (CoDa) perspective, the PMF model was applied to identify key contamination sources and quantify their contributions. Potential ecological risk assessment and Monte Carlo simulation were employed to estimate ecological-health risks associated with PTE exposure. The results revealed that the main exceeding PTEs (Mercury—Hg and Cadmium—Cd) are rich in urbanized areas and the GFGP (Grain for Green Program) regions. Source apportionment indicated that soil parent materials constituted the dominant contributor (32.48%), followed by traffic emissions (28.31%), atmospheric deposition (21.48%), and legacy agricultural effects (17.86%). Ecological risk assessment showed that 60.51% of soil samples exhibited higher potential ecological risk (PERI > 150), with moderate-risk areas concentrated in the GFGP regions. The elements Cd and Hg from legacy agricultural effects and atmospheric deposition contributed the most to ecological risk. Health risk assessment demonstrated that most risk indices fell within acceptable ranges for all populations, while only children showed elevated non-carcinogenic risk (THI<sub>max</sub> > 1.0). Among PTEs, the element As, mainly from traffic emissions, was identified as a priority control element due to its significant health implications. Geospatial distributions showed significant risk enrichment in the GFGP regions (legacy agricultural areas). These findings present associated risk levels in sustainable agricultural regions, providing valuable data to support soil environmental management in regions requiring urgent intervention worldwide. |
| format | Article |
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| spelling | doaj-art-96d02408614c430baa1d809c1df152f62025-08-20T03:16:18ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2025-06-01146119210.3390/land14061192Source Apportionment and Ecological-Health Risk Assessments of Potentially Toxic Elements in Topsoil of an Agricultural Region in Southwest ChinaYangshuang Wang0Shiming Yang1Denghui Wei2Haidong Li3Ming Luo4Xiaoyan Zhao5Yunhui Zhang6Ying Wang7Faculty of Geosciences and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, ChinaFaculty of Geosciences and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, ChinaFaculty of Geosciences and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, ChinaFaculty of Geosciences and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, ChinaSichuan Institute of Comprehensive Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, ChinaFaculty of Geosciences and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, ChinaFaculty of Geosciences and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, ChinaFaculty of Geosciences and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, ChinaSoil potentially toxic element (PTE) contamination remains a global concern, particularly in rural agricultural regions. This study collected 157 agricultural topsoil samples within a rural area in SW China. Combined with multivariate statistical analysis in the compositional data analysis (CoDa) perspective, the PMF model was applied to identify key contamination sources and quantify their contributions. Potential ecological risk assessment and Monte Carlo simulation were employed to estimate ecological-health risks associated with PTE exposure. The results revealed that the main exceeding PTEs (Mercury—Hg and Cadmium—Cd) are rich in urbanized areas and the GFGP (Grain for Green Program) regions. Source apportionment indicated that soil parent materials constituted the dominant contributor (32.48%), followed by traffic emissions (28.31%), atmospheric deposition (21.48%), and legacy agricultural effects (17.86%). Ecological risk assessment showed that 60.51% of soil samples exhibited higher potential ecological risk (PERI > 150), with moderate-risk areas concentrated in the GFGP regions. The elements Cd and Hg from legacy agricultural effects and atmospheric deposition contributed the most to ecological risk. Health risk assessment demonstrated that most risk indices fell within acceptable ranges for all populations, while only children showed elevated non-carcinogenic risk (THI<sub>max</sub> > 1.0). Among PTEs, the element As, mainly from traffic emissions, was identified as a priority control element due to its significant health implications. Geospatial distributions showed significant risk enrichment in the GFGP regions (legacy agricultural areas). These findings present associated risk levels in sustainable agricultural regions, providing valuable data to support soil environmental management in regions requiring urgent intervention worldwide.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/6/1192potentially toxic elementscompositional data analysispositive matrix factorization modelecological-health risk assessmentsMonte Carlo simulation |
| spellingShingle | Yangshuang Wang Shiming Yang Denghui Wei Haidong Li Ming Luo Xiaoyan Zhao Yunhui Zhang Ying Wang Source Apportionment and Ecological-Health Risk Assessments of Potentially Toxic Elements in Topsoil of an Agricultural Region in Southwest China Land potentially toxic elements compositional data analysis positive matrix factorization model ecological-health risk assessments Monte Carlo simulation |
| title | Source Apportionment and Ecological-Health Risk Assessments of Potentially Toxic Elements in Topsoil of an Agricultural Region in Southwest China |
| title_full | Source Apportionment and Ecological-Health Risk Assessments of Potentially Toxic Elements in Topsoil of an Agricultural Region in Southwest China |
| title_fullStr | Source Apportionment and Ecological-Health Risk Assessments of Potentially Toxic Elements in Topsoil of an Agricultural Region in Southwest China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Source Apportionment and Ecological-Health Risk Assessments of Potentially Toxic Elements in Topsoil of an Agricultural Region in Southwest China |
| title_short | Source Apportionment and Ecological-Health Risk Assessments of Potentially Toxic Elements in Topsoil of an Agricultural Region in Southwest China |
| title_sort | source apportionment and ecological health risk assessments of potentially toxic elements in topsoil of an agricultural region in southwest china |
| topic | potentially toxic elements compositional data analysis positive matrix factorization model ecological-health risk assessments Monte Carlo simulation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/6/1192 |
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