Heavy metal pollution of agricultural soils and sediments in Liaoning Province, China

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution of soils and sediments in Liaoning Province, Northeast China, was investigated. Fifty seven samples of agricultural soils and 8 samples of sediments were collected in 1996 from paddy or upland fields and irrigation channels, respectively, in Shenyang, Fushun, Liaoyang, Anshan, and Tieling regions, and concentrations of total and 0.1 mol L-1 HCI-extractable Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were analyzed using ICP spectrometry. Seventeen samples of unpolished rice were also collected from selected paddy fields and total concentrations of the four elements were determined.– Both paddy and upland soils were polluted with Cd: average total concentration was 0.70, 0.57, and 0.53 mg kg-1 in the western and southern parts of Shenyang, and Anshan, respectively, and significantly higher than the background level of 0.32 mg kg-1. Cd concentrations of four samples exceeded even 1 mg kg-1, which corresponds to the critical level of Cd contamination in China. About 65% of the total Cd was extracted with 0.1 mol L-1 HCI, suggesting that Cd was relatively mobile compared with other metals. The level of Cd pollution was, however, lower than that previously reported and serious polIution was not observed for Cu, Pb, and Zn. Accordingly, Cd concentration in upland rice was within the range of the unpolluted level in this study. Nevertheless, Cd concentration in a sediment of irrigation channels in the western part of Shenyang exceeded 16 mg kg-1, indicating the possibility of further contamination of agricultural soils. In conclusion, soils and sediments were still polluted with Cd in the southern part of Shenyang, Anshan, and especially in the western part of Shenyang, and further countermeasures are urgently required to ensure safe food production in these regions.