Abstract
To develop appropriate measures to prevent soil contamination in abandoned mining areas, an understanding of the spatial variation of the potentially toxic trace elements (PTEs) in the soil is necessary. For the purpose of effective soil sampling, this study uses hot spot analysis, which calculates a z-score based on the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic to identify a statistically significant hot spot sample. To constitute a statistically significant hot spot, a feature with a high value should also be surrounded by other features with high values. Using relatively cost- and time-effective portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) analysis, sufficient input data are acquired from the Busan abandoned mine and used for hot spot analysis. To calibrate the PXRF data, which have a relatively low accuracy, the PXRF analysis data are transformed using the inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) data. The transformed PXRF data of the Busan abandoned mine are classified into four groups according to their normalized content and z-scores: high content with a high z-score (HH), high content with a low z-score (HL), low content with a high z-score (LH), and low content with a low z-score (LL). The HL and LH cases may be due to measurement errors. Additional or complementary surveys are required for the areas surrounding these suspect samples or for significant hot spot areas. The soil sampling is conducted according to a four-phase procedure in which the hot spot analysis and proposed group classification method are employed to support the development of a sampling plan for the following phase. Overall, 30, 50, 80, and 100 samples are investigated and analyzed in phases 1–4, respectively. The method implemented in this case study may be utilized in the field for the assessment of statistically significant soil contamination and the identification of areas for which an additional survey is required.
Highlights
Mining is a global industry that can be hazardous to public health and safety, and that can cause damage to the surrounding environment, including the land, soil, water, and forest [1]
Soil contamination is a significant problem among the various mining hazards, because mine waste generally contains a higher content of potentially toxic trace elements (PTEs) than regular industrial waste [2]
To assess statistically significant soil contamination and to determine the areas in which an additional survey is required, the portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) data for the Busan abandoned mine study area were classified into four groups according to the concentrations and the z-scores yielded by the Gi* statistics
Summary
Mining is a global industry that can be hazardous to public health and safety, and that can cause damage to the surrounding environment, including the land, soil, water, and forest [1]. Soil contamination is a significant problem among the various mining hazards, because mine waste generally contains a higher content of potentially toxic trace elements (PTEs) than regular industrial waste [2]. Elevated PTE levels may be found in and around mines because of the dispersion of mine waste down-slope due to surface runoff, wind action, and effluent drainage into nearby soil and open water systems [3]. An anomalous PTE concentration may affect the soil environment and quality, posing a serious risk to crops, livestock, and human health through food chain accumulation [4]. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 654; doi:10.3390/ijerph14060654 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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