Comparison of Heavy Metal Pollution, Health Risk, and Sources Between Surface and Deep Layers for an Agricultural Region Within the Pearl River Delta: Implications for Soil Environmental Research
During the past decades, agricultural soil heavy metal pollution has been becoming increasingly severe due to urbanization and industrialization. However, the impact of externally input heavy metals on deep soils remains unclear because most previous relevant research only focused on surface soils....
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2025-06-01
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| author | Zhenwei Bi Yu Guo Zhao Wang Zhaoyu Zhu Mingkun Li Tingping Ouyang |
| author_facet | Zhenwei Bi Yu Guo Zhao Wang Zhaoyu Zhu Mingkun Li Tingping Ouyang |
| author_sort | Zhenwei Bi |
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| description | During the past decades, agricultural soil heavy metal pollution has been becoming increasingly severe due to urbanization and industrialization. However, the impact of externally input heavy metals on deep soils remains unclear because most previous relevant research only focused on surface soils. In the present study, Concentrations of eight heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cr, Cd, As, and Hg) were determined for 72 pairs of surface and deep soil samples collected from an agricultural region close to the Pearl River estuary. Subsequently, heavy metal pollution and potential health risks were assessed using the Geo-accumulation Index and Potential Ecological Risk Index, a dose response model and Monte Carlo simulation, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) and the positive matrix factorization (PMF) receptor model were combined to analyze heavy metal sources. The results indicated that average concentrations of all heavy metals exceeded their corresponding background values. Cd was identified as the main pollutant due to its extremely high values of <i>I<sub>geo</sub></i> and <i>Er</i>. Unacceptable potential heavy metal non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks indicated by respectively calculated HI and TCR, higher than thresholds 1.0 and 1.0 × 10<sup>−4</sup>, mainly arose from heavy metals As, Cd, Cr, and Ni through food ingestion and dermal absorption. Anthropogenic sources respectively contributed 19.7% and 38.9% for soil As and accounted for the main contributions to Cd, Cu, and Hg (Surface: 90.2%, 65.4%, 67.3%; Deep: 53.8%, 54.6%, 56.2%) within surface and deep layers. These results indicate that soil heavy metal contents with deep layers were also significantly influenced by anthropogenic input. Therefore, we suggest that both surface and deep soils should be investigated simultaneously to gain relatively accurate results for soil heavy metal pollution and source apportionments. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
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| series | Toxics |
| spelling | doaj-art-dd4efb1d2baf4903804662f36ca3565e2025-08-20T03:56:49ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042025-06-0113754810.3390/toxics13070548Comparison of Heavy Metal Pollution, Health Risk, and Sources Between Surface and Deep Layers for an Agricultural Region Within the Pearl River Delta: Implications for Soil Environmental ResearchZhenwei Bi0Yu Guo1Zhao Wang2Zhaoyu Zhu3Mingkun Li4Tingping Ouyang5School of Geography, South China Normal University, 55 Zhongshan Road West, Guangzhou 510631, ChinaGeological Survey of Guangzhou, Guangzhou 510440, ChinaGeological Survey of Guangzhou, Guangzhou 510440, ChinaGuangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaSchool of Geography, South China Normal University, 55 Zhongshan Road West, Guangzhou 510631, ChinaSchool of Geography, South China Normal University, 55 Zhongshan Road West, Guangzhou 510631, ChinaDuring the past decades, agricultural soil heavy metal pollution has been becoming increasingly severe due to urbanization and industrialization. However, the impact of externally input heavy metals on deep soils remains unclear because most previous relevant research only focused on surface soils. In the present study, Concentrations of eight heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cr, Cd, As, and Hg) were determined for 72 pairs of surface and deep soil samples collected from an agricultural region close to the Pearl River estuary. Subsequently, heavy metal pollution and potential health risks were assessed using the Geo-accumulation Index and Potential Ecological Risk Index, a dose response model and Monte Carlo simulation, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) and the positive matrix factorization (PMF) receptor model were combined to analyze heavy metal sources. The results indicated that average concentrations of all heavy metals exceeded their corresponding background values. Cd was identified as the main pollutant due to its extremely high values of <i>I<sub>geo</sub></i> and <i>Er</i>. Unacceptable potential heavy metal non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks indicated by respectively calculated HI and TCR, higher than thresholds 1.0 and 1.0 × 10<sup>−4</sup>, mainly arose from heavy metals As, Cd, Cr, and Ni through food ingestion and dermal absorption. Anthropogenic sources respectively contributed 19.7% and 38.9% for soil As and accounted for the main contributions to Cd, Cu, and Hg (Surface: 90.2%, 65.4%, 67.3%; Deep: 53.8%, 54.6%, 56.2%) within surface and deep layers. These results indicate that soil heavy metal contents with deep layers were also significantly influenced by anthropogenic input. Therefore, we suggest that both surface and deep soils should be investigated simultaneously to gain relatively accurate results for soil heavy metal pollution and source apportionments.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/7/548heavy metal pollutionhealth risk assessmentsource analysissurface soildeep soilagricultural area |
| spellingShingle | Zhenwei Bi Yu Guo Zhao Wang Zhaoyu Zhu Mingkun Li Tingping Ouyang Comparison of Heavy Metal Pollution, Health Risk, and Sources Between Surface and Deep Layers for an Agricultural Region Within the Pearl River Delta: Implications for Soil Environmental Research Toxics heavy metal pollution health risk assessment source analysis surface soil deep soil agricultural area |
| title | Comparison of Heavy Metal Pollution, Health Risk, and Sources Between Surface and Deep Layers for an Agricultural Region Within the Pearl River Delta: Implications for Soil Environmental Research |
| title_full | Comparison of Heavy Metal Pollution, Health Risk, and Sources Between Surface and Deep Layers for an Agricultural Region Within the Pearl River Delta: Implications for Soil Environmental Research |
| title_fullStr | Comparison of Heavy Metal Pollution, Health Risk, and Sources Between Surface and Deep Layers for an Agricultural Region Within the Pearl River Delta: Implications for Soil Environmental Research |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparison of Heavy Metal Pollution, Health Risk, and Sources Between Surface and Deep Layers for an Agricultural Region Within the Pearl River Delta: Implications for Soil Environmental Research |
| title_short | Comparison of Heavy Metal Pollution, Health Risk, and Sources Between Surface and Deep Layers for an Agricultural Region Within the Pearl River Delta: Implications for Soil Environmental Research |
| title_sort | comparison of heavy metal pollution health risk and sources between surface and deep layers for an agricultural region within the pearl river delta implications for soil environmental research |
| topic | heavy metal pollution health risk assessment source analysis surface soil deep soil agricultural area |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/7/548 |
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