Source and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soil-Ginger System in the Jing River Basin of Shandong Province, North China.

Bing Jiang,Zhen Wu,Hairui Zhang,Songtao Wang,Hongzhi Dong,Yang Liu,Zongjun Gao,Yuqi Zhang

doi:10.3390/ijerph18136749

Abstract

This study investigated the characteristics and sources of heavy metals in a soil–ginger system and assessed their health risks. To this end, 321 topsoil samples and eight soil samples from a soil profile, and 18 ginger samples with root–soil were collected from a ginger-planting area in the Jing River Basin. The average concentration of heavy metals in the topsoil followed the order: Cr > Zn > Pb > Ni > Cu > As > Cd > Hg. In the soil profile, at depths greater than 80 cm, the contents of Cr, Ni, and Zn tended to increase with depth, which may be related to the parent materials, whereas As and Cu contents showed little change. In contrast, Pb content decreased sharply from top to bottom, which may be attributable to external environmental and anthropogenic factors. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd contents in soil are affected by natural sources, Pb and As contents are significantly affected by human activities, and Hg content is affected by farmland irrigation. Combined results of the single pollution index (Pi), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), and potential ecological risk assessment (Ei and RI) suggest that soil in the study area is generally not polluted by heavy metals. In ginger, Zn content was the highest (2.36 mg/kg) and Hg content was the lowest (0.0015 mg/kg). Based on the bioconcentration factor, Cd and Zn have high potential for enrichment in ginger. With reference to the limit of heavy metals in tubers, Cr content in ginger exceeds the standard in the study area. Although Cr does not accumulate in ginger, Cr enrichment in soil significantly increases the risk of excessive Cr content in ginger.

Highlights

Heavy metals, which generally include As, Cr, Cd, Pb, and other biotoxic elements, are persistent pollutants that continuously accumulate in the environment
The contents of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, As, and Hg in a soil–ginger system in the Jing River Basin were analyzed with the following aims: (1) to trace the potential sources of heavy metals; (2) to assess the health risks of heavy metals in the soil–ginger system
The basic data were analyzed in Microsoft Excel, and the statistical analyses of soil physical and chemical properties and heavy metal contents were performed in SPSS

Summary

Introduction

Heavy metals, which generally include As, Cr, Cd, Pb, and other biotoxic elements, are persistent pollutants that continuously accumulate in the environment. These pollutants accumulate in soil through various sources, such as industrial activities, fertilization and irrigation, and rock weathering [1]. The contents of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, As, and Hg in a soil–ginger system in the Jing River Basin were analyzed with the following aims: (1) to trace the potential sources of heavy metals; (2) to assess the health risks of heavy metals in the soil–ginger system. The results of this study can provide insights for the prevention and control of local soil heavy metal pollution, and scientific planting of ginger

Study Area

Data Analysis

Source

Average Concentration of Heavy Metals in Ginger and Root–Soil

Pollution Assessment for Heavy Metal Pollution in Soil

Safety Assessment of Ginger

Findings

Conclusions