Assessment of heavy metal sources and health risks in soil-crop systems of fragmented farmland
Heavy metal contamination in agricultural ecosystems poses significant risks to human health. Metals accumulating in soil-crop systems can be absorbed and concentrated by crops. Chronic exposure through the consumption of contaminated crops may lead to severe health consequences. This study investig...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1637595/full |
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| author | Lei Tong Aoran Yang Mingyue Fan Daikun Zheng Ji Li Hanlin Liu Chenggen Li Yongqiong Tang Longfeng Cheng |
| author_facet | Lei Tong Aoran Yang Mingyue Fan Daikun Zheng Ji Li Hanlin Liu Chenggen Li Yongqiong Tang Longfeng Cheng |
| author_sort | Lei Tong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Heavy metal contamination in agricultural ecosystems poses significant risks to human health. Metals accumulating in soil-crop systems can be absorbed and concentrated by crops. Chronic exposure through the consumption of contaminated crops may lead to severe health consequences. This study investigated eight common heavy metals (Cd, Ni, As, Cu, Hg, Pb, Cr, Zn) in the soil-crop system of Wanzhou District, Chongqing City, and performed a probabilistic risk analysis using Monte Carlo simulation. The study results show that for non-carcinogenic risks, the total hazard quotient for adults (2.365) and children (1.176) both exceed the safety threshold of 1.0, with As contributing significantly to population health risk. For carcinogenic risks, the total carcinogenic risk for adults (2.28 × 10−3) and children (1.11 × 10−3) significantly surpass the unacceptable risk level of 1.0 × 10−4, with As, Cr, Cd, and Ni presenting particularly high carcinogenic risks to the population. Additionally, the sensitivity analysis revealed that the concentration (C) of heavy metals in crops is a key exposure parameter influencing the health risks for both adults and children. Given the significant contributions of As, Cr, Cd, and Ni to health risks, these metals should be prioritized for monitoring and control. Long-term intake of crops with excessive heavy metal content increases health risks, highlighting the urgent need to address heavy metal pollution in urban fragmented farmland soil-crop systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ddfa472df4184ebf847d9f55242656e9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-ddfa472df4184ebf847d9f55242656e92025-08-20T03:31:38ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652025-07-011310.3389/fpubh.2025.16375951637595Assessment of heavy metal sources and health risks in soil-crop systems of fragmented farmlandLei Tong0Aoran Yang1Mingyue Fan2Daikun Zheng3Ji Li4Hanlin Liu5Chenggen Li6Yongqiong Tang7Longfeng Cheng8School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Three Gorges Medical College, Chongqing, ChinaSchool of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Three Gorges Medical College, Chongqing, ChinaSchool of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Three Gorges Medical College, Chongqing, ChinaSchool of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Three Gorges Medical College, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Environment and Food Hygiene, Chongqing Wanzhou District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Environment and Food Hygiene, Chongqing Wanzhou District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Environment and Food Hygiene, Chongqing Wanzhou District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Environment and Food Hygiene, Chongqing Wanzhou District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Environment and Food Hygiene, Chongqing Wanzhou District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chongqing, ChinaHeavy metal contamination in agricultural ecosystems poses significant risks to human health. Metals accumulating in soil-crop systems can be absorbed and concentrated by crops. Chronic exposure through the consumption of contaminated crops may lead to severe health consequences. This study investigated eight common heavy metals (Cd, Ni, As, Cu, Hg, Pb, Cr, Zn) in the soil-crop system of Wanzhou District, Chongqing City, and performed a probabilistic risk analysis using Monte Carlo simulation. The study results show that for non-carcinogenic risks, the total hazard quotient for adults (2.365) and children (1.176) both exceed the safety threshold of 1.0, with As contributing significantly to population health risk. For carcinogenic risks, the total carcinogenic risk for adults (2.28 × 10−3) and children (1.11 × 10−3) significantly surpass the unacceptable risk level of 1.0 × 10−4, with As, Cr, Cd, and Ni presenting particularly high carcinogenic risks to the population. Additionally, the sensitivity analysis revealed that the concentration (C) of heavy metals in crops is a key exposure parameter influencing the health risks for both adults and children. Given the significant contributions of As, Cr, Cd, and Ni to health risks, these metals should be prioritized for monitoring and control. Long-term intake of crops with excessive heavy metal content increases health risks, highlighting the urgent need to address heavy metal pollution in urban fragmented farmland soil-crop systems.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1637595/fullheavy metalscropsIICQ indexMonte Carlo simulationhealth risks |
| spellingShingle | Lei Tong Aoran Yang Mingyue Fan Daikun Zheng Ji Li Hanlin Liu Chenggen Li Yongqiong Tang Longfeng Cheng Assessment of heavy metal sources and health risks in soil-crop systems of fragmented farmland Frontiers in Public Health heavy metals crops IICQ index Monte Carlo simulation health risks |
| title | Assessment of heavy metal sources and health risks in soil-crop systems of fragmented farmland |
| title_full | Assessment of heavy metal sources and health risks in soil-crop systems of fragmented farmland |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of heavy metal sources and health risks in soil-crop systems of fragmented farmland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of heavy metal sources and health risks in soil-crop systems of fragmented farmland |
| title_short | Assessment of heavy metal sources and health risks in soil-crop systems of fragmented farmland |
| title_sort | assessment of heavy metal sources and health risks in soil crop systems of fragmented farmland |
| topic | heavy metals crops IICQ index Monte Carlo simulation health risks |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1637595/full |
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