Cumulative Effect and Content Variation of Toxic Trace Elements in Human Hair around Xiaoqinling Gold Mining Area, Northwestern China

Min Yang,Youning Xu,Huaqing Chen,Hailing Ke

doi:10.3390/ijerph18042074

Abstract

The harm of toxic trace element polluted living environments to human health in mining areas has attracted extensive attention. In this study, human hair samples from a toxic trace element polluted area (village A) in a mineral processing area collected in 2015 and 2019 were studied in detail and the nonpolluted human hair samples from a contrast area (village B) with a relatively clean environment were also collected for comparison. The Hg and As in human hair samples were analyzed by Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (AFS) and the Pb, Cd, Cr, and Cu in human hair samples were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The single cumulative index (Pi) and the Nemerrow index (Pz) were used to evaluate the single and comprehensive cumulative pollution index. The results indicated that the average toxic trace element contents in human hair from different ages in the polluted area exhibited certain statistical significance. The average single cumulative indexes indicated a significant accumulation of Hg, Pb, and Cd in human hair of both genders and different ages from the polluted area, and the comprehensive cumulative pollution indexes revealed higher accumulation of toxic trace elements in the hair of males than in females. In general, the content of toxic trace elements in human hair from polluted area was still growing in accumulation. The high content of toxic trace elements in human hair shows a notable correlation with human health, and the environmental pollution in gold mining areas is seriously harmful to human health.

Highlights

Published: 20 February 2021Heavy metals and toxic trace elements, especially Hg, Cd, Pb, Cr, arsenic poisoning (As), and Zn, have significant biological toxicity
Only the contents of Pb in the human hair samples from the contrast area were obviously higher than the average Pb result in the Chinese resident normal hair content, which indicates a relatively high background of Pb in Xiaoqinling Mountains
Nonpolluted villages away from the mining industry concentration area with the same geological background were selected as the contrast area to explore the spatial variations of toxic trace element accumulation in the Xiaoqinling area

Summary

Introduction

Heavy metals and toxic trace elements, especially Hg, Cd, Pb, Cr, As, and Zn, have significant biological toxicity. They cannot be degraded by microorganisms in soil and water environments but can only be transformed, dispersed, and enriched between various forms. The main components and symbiotic or associated toxic elements will leach with mining gangue and drain into water and soil environments. A very small part of Hg, Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, As, and Cr will be diffused through industrial fumes, tailings slurry, and waste gangue in the process of beneficiation and metallurgy causing environmental pollution in rivers, groundwater, air, and soil and endangering people’s health directly or indirectly. Activities of mineral mining have led to serious pollution of fertile farmlands in many developing countries including some poor and backward

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion