Abstract
Industrial and mining activities have been recognized as the major sources of soil heavy metal contamination. This study introduced an improved Nemerow index method based on the Nemerow and geo-accumulation index. Taking a typical industrial and mining gathering area in Tianjin (China) as example, this study then analyzed the contamination sources as well as the ecological and integrated risks. The spatial distribution of the contamination level and ecological risk were determined using Geographic Information Systems. The results are as follows: (1) Zinc showed the highest contaminant level in the study area; the contamination levels of the other seven heavy metals assessed were relatively lower. (2) The combustion of fossil fuels and emissions from industrial and mining activities were the main sources of contamination in the study area. (3) The overall contamination level of heavy metals in the study area ranged from heavily contaminated to extremely contaminated and showed an uneven distribution. (4) The potential ecological risk showed an uneven distribution, and the overall ecological risk level ranged from low to moderate. This study also emphasized the importance of partition in industrial and mining areas, the extensive application of spatial analysis methods, and the consideration of human health risks in future studies.
Highlights
The heavy metal contamination of soil has caused widespread concern in the international and domestic communities [1,2,3]
The average contamination level of these metals is categorized as Class 0, uncontaminated
The contamination level of Zn is categorized as Class 6, extremely contaminated
Summary
The heavy metal contamination of soil has caused widespread concern in the international and domestic communities [1,2,3]. The major sources of soil heavy metal contamination are industrial and mining activities [4,5]. Statistics show that over 10 million hectares of land in China are threatened by heavy metal contamination, with some 2 million hectares being mining areas. The heavy metal contamination of soil poses a serious threat to the quality and safety of the agricultural and ecological environment in China [6,7,8]. According to the Twelfth Five-Year Development Plan for Environmental. Protection and the National Environmental Protection Twelfth Five-Year Plan for Technology. Development, the prevention of soil heavy metal contamination is a key task for China, and typical industrial and mining areas are key areas of soil contamination studies.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
