Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Hawaii at Hilo, 200W. Kawili Street, Hilo, HI 96720-4091, United States.
Department of Geography and Earth Science, University of Wisconsin La Crosse, 1725 State Street, La Crosse, WI 54601, United States.
Sci Total Environ. 2014 Jul 15;487:72-81. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.03.102. Epub 2014 Apr 27.
Legacy lead (Pb) contamination from sport shooting activities is a well-known hazard. Assessing the risk this contamination presents to the environment and public health requires a detailed understanding of its spatial distribution, yet our knowledge in this area is limited, especially for wetland shooting ranges. In this study, we analyzed 1351 sediment samples from 456 surficial (0-5 cm) locations and 38 sediment cores (0.3 to 0.9 m) to quantify the three dimensional spatial distribution of Pb contamination in an urban wetland at the site of a former trap shooting range located in southwestern Wisconsin, USA. Non-destructive X-ray images of the sediment cores were used to quantify Pb shot abundance and burial depth. Surficial and core sediment samples were processed and analyzed for total Pb content via X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. X-ray and XRF results were interpolated to create a three-dimensional model of Pb shot density and sediment concentration across the study area. Over 31,000 m(3) of sediment surpassed the US Environmental Protection Agency's contamination threshold of 400mg/kg Pb, with a maximum calibrated value of 26,700 mg/kg Pb occurring near the center of the expected shot fallout zone. Shot densities of >50,000 pellets/m(2) were found in the shot fallout zone, primarily 10-30 cm below the sediment surface. X-ray image analysis and XRF analysis of sediment cores provide an accurate and inexpensive technique for rapidly mapping Pb contamination associated with gun clubs and hunting; these findings will benefit environmental contamination studies and remediation efforts at active and abandoned shooting ranges worldwide.
从运动射击活动中遗留下来的铅 (Pb) 污染是众所周知的危害。评估这种污染对环境和公众健康构成的风险需要详细了解其空间分布，但我们在这方面的知识有限，尤其是对于湿地射击场。在这项研究中，我们分析了来自美国威斯康星州西南部一个前捕鼠器射击场遗址的一个城市湿地的 456 个表层（0-5 厘米）位置和 38 个沉积物芯（0.3 至 0.9 米）的 1351 个沉积物样本，以量化 Pb 污染的三维空间分布。使用沉积物芯的非破坏性 X 射线图像来量化 Pb 弹的数量和埋藏深度。表层和核心沉积物样本经过处理，并通过 X 射线荧光（XRF）分析进行总 Pb 含量分析。X 射线和 XRF 结果被内插以创建研究区域内 Pb 弹密度和沉积物浓度的三维模型。超过 31,000 立方米的沉积物超过了美国环境保护署的 400mg/kg Pb 污染阈值，最大校准值为 26,700mg/kg Pb，发生在预期的弹丸沉降区中心附近。在弹丸沉降区发现弹丸密度>50,000 个/平方米，主要位于距沉积物表面 10-30 厘米处。X 射线图像分析和沉积物芯的 XRF 分析为快速绘制与枪会和狩猎相关的 Pb 污染图提供了一种准确且廉价的技术；这些发现将有益于全球活跃和废弃射击场的环境污染研究和补救工作。
