ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Environmental Risk Assessment of Heavy
Metals in Cultivated Soils Around Industrial
Area and Source Identification under APCS-MLR
Model: a Case of Suzhou in Northern China
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1
School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, 221000 Xuzhou, China
2
Key Laboratory of Mine Water Resource Utilization of Anhui Higher Education Institute, Suzhou University,
234000 Suzhou, China
3
School of Resources and Civil Engineering, Suzhou University, 234000 Suzhou, China
Submission date: 2023-04-19
Final revision date: 2023-05-05
Acceptance date: 2023-05-20
Online publication date: 2023-07-12
Publication date: 2023-08-11
Corresponding author
Zhimin Xu
School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2023;32(5):3989-3998
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ABSTRACT
To investigate the impact of industrial activities on the environmental accumulation and the health
risks to humans of heavy metals in urban soils, the cultivated soil samples around different industrial
areas were collected and analyzed. The heavy metal concentrations in the soil samples were in the
decreasing order Mn>Zn>Cr>Ni>Cu>Pb>As>Sn>Cd>Hg, and the average concentrations of all heavy
metals exceeding the corresponding background values. In addition to Cd and Hg, all the other eight
metals were classified as low ecological risk; Cd had low, moderate, and considerable ecological risk
and Hg were in low, high, and very high ecological risk. The proportion of RI in the four ecological
risk levels of low risk, moderate risk, considerable risk and high risk were 69.6%, 13%, 8.7% and 8.7%,
respectively. All Mn and some Cr pose non-carcinogenic risk to children primarily through inhalation
exposure. Carcinogenic risk is Cr>Ni>As>Pb>Cd, and the exposure route is mainly by ingestion.
For children, Cr, Ni and As were high carcinogenic risk and Pb, Cd were acceptable carcinogenic risk;
for adults, Cr and Ni were high risk, As was acceptable risk, and Pb and Cd were no risk. The results of
the APCS-MLR receptor model showed that the percentages of vehicle emission sources, coal transport
industrial sources, coal-fired power plant sources and natural sources were 27.8%, 25.2%, 8.7% and
38.3%, respectively.