Abstract
Heavy-metal pollution is a negative impact of municipal solid-waste landfills. The multiple pollution transport pathways (including leachate, runoff, and waste gas) and complex and co-existing potential pollution sources (such as agricultural activities) around landfills require a combination of different pollution assessment methods and source identification tools to address pollution distribution and potential risks. In this study, the distributions of eight heavy metals (chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg)) around a landfill were analyzed using 60 topsoil samples. Ecological risk assessments indicated that there are currently no ecological risks. Based on health risk assessments, however, high concentrations of Cr and As in the soil pose a noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic risk to humans in the study area, respectively. In addition, the geoaccumulation indices for Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, As, and Hg confirmed anthropogenic sources of accumulation of these metals in soils. Additionally, the potential ecological risk index indicated that Hg posed a considerable risk to the ecology of the area around the landfill. Sources of heavy metals in the study area were attributed to natural sources (22.10%), agricultural activities (27.65%), landfill (31.35%), and transportation (18.89%). The continuous accumulation of heavy metals and health risk for humans suggests the need to continuously monitor of heavy metal content and migration around the landfill. This study provides a reference for local authorities in the study area.
Highlights
Heavy metals can exert negative effects when exceeding certain levels, some of them are necessary elements for living beings and ecosystems (Huang et al 2018)
It was inferred that the soil was acidic, which could increase the release of heavy metals (Chai et al 2007)
The distribution characteristics, pollution evaluation, and source apportionment of heavy metals in soils around a landfill in Qingdao, China were investigated for the first time
Summary
Heavy metals can exert negative effects when exceeding certain levels, some of them are necessary elements for living beings and ecosystems (Huang et al 2018). Heavy metals could remain for up to 150 years in landfill sites with a leaching rate of 400 mm/year (EU 2002) and are transported to nearby soils (Adelopo et al 2018). Many studies have focused on the contamination and risks assessment posed by heavy metals in nearby soil near landfills. Different extents of heavy metal contamination were identified in soils around landfills in China, Turkey, Tunisia, Laos, Nigeria, and Bangladesh (Zhou et al 2015; Ogunbanjo et al 2016; Vural et al 2017; Vongdala et al 2019; Alam et al 2020; Wang et al 2020). Distribution characteristics and transport behaviors of heavy metals in soil around landfills have been investigated in many previous studies
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