ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Heavy Metals in Agricultural Soils from a Typical
Mining City in China: Spatial Distribution, Source
Apportionment, and Health Risk Assessment
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1
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, China
2
College of Civil Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, China
3
Key Laboratory of Regional Environment and Eco-Remediation of Ministry of Education, College of Environment,
Shenyang University, Shenyang, China
4
Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental
Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Submission date: 2019-02-11
Final revision date: 2019-04-01
Acceptance date: 2019-04-14
Online publication date: 2019-10-24
Publication date: 2020-01-16
Corresponding author
Qing Luo
Shenyang University, Dadong District, Wanghua South Street No. 21, 110044, ShenYang, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2020;29(2):1379-1390
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ABSTRACT
This study investigated the spatial distribution, sources, and health risks of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr,
Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in agricultural topsoils in Fuxin, China. One-hundred and thirty-eight topsoil
samples were collected from Fuxin in August 2017. Except for Cu, Hg, and Pb, the mean concentrations
of other heavy metals surpassed their respective background values. The mean concentration of Cd was
nine times that of the background value. For the majority of heavy metals, contents in the Haizhou and
Xihe areas and south of Fumeng County were significantly higher than those of other areas. The results
of the geoaccumulation and potential ecological risk indexes revealed that Cd demonstrated moderate
contamination. The Haizhou and Xihe areas were considerable risk areas, whereas heavy metals in other
areas posed low risks. Results of the health risk assessment revealed that the non-carcinogenic risks
caused by heavy metals were small-beer. The carcinogenic risks caused by Ni, Cr, and As surpassed
acceptable levels. Based on the results of source apportionment, which is based on positive matrix
factorization, agricultural sources contributed to half of the concentration of heavy metals; industrial
and traffic sources contributed 32.12% and 14.97%, respectively.