Identify Priority Control Pollutants and Areas of Groundwater in an Old Metropolitan Industrial Area—A Case Study of Putuo, Shanghai, China

Chuan-Zheng Yuan,Xiang-Rong Wang

doi:10.3390/w14030459

Abstract

Industrial activities have raised widespread concerns about groundwater pollution and human health. Shanghai’s industrial land has been polluting the groundwater for more than 30 years; however, it is not clear whether it poses a risk to human health. This study explores the health risk degree in different groups of groundwater in old industrial areas in Shanghai, China. We selected eight heavy metal elements (As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Hg, Pb, Cu, and Zn) as the research objects and analyzed the characteristics of concentrations and spatial distribution using single factor index and geostatistical analytical methods. Results indicated that the average concentrations of As and Hg were higher than the environmental standards. Meanwhile, As, Ni, Hg and Pb in groundwater were notable anthropogenic inputs. Compared with irrigation cropland, the pollution of Ni, Pb and As in industrial land was obviously more serious. In addition, the health risk assessment results indicated the priority control pollutants of non-carcinogenic risk and carcinogenic risk are As and Cr, respectively. Our results showed that human activities have deeply increased heavy metal concentrations in groundwater, which in turn poses risks to human health. These findings provide scientific support for urban managers to reduce residents’ drinking water risks.

Highlights

Academic Editors: Jean O’Dwyer andThe rapid development of urbanization in Shanghai caused an increase in heavy metal emissions and polluted groundwater [1]
Non-carcinogenic probability for children was higher than adults, and drinking was the main way to affect health risks (Figure 5)
Our research scope was limited to specific cases, the results suggest that the health risks in industrial areas were much higher than in agricultural land

Summary

Introduction

The rapid development of urbanization in Shanghai caused an increase in heavy metal emissions and polluted groundwater [1]. Industrial waste was the main pollution factor among the multiple pollution sources [2]. As this has not been properly treated before discharge, the result is an increasing pollution risk in groundwater [3,4,5]. Due to the mobility of groundwater, harmful substances presented risks to the ecosystem of the surrounding land [7,8]. To reduce the risk of heavy metals, it is very essential to identify priority pollutants and priority control areas

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion