Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Environ Res. 2018 Nov;167:524-527. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.08.012. Epub 2018 Aug 8.
The 2017 Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health identified soil as an important, daily route of public exposure to a variety of pollutants. Lead and arsenic are two potential soil contaminants associated with serious health effects including reductions in intelligence, behavioral effects and aggressive or violent behavior (lead), as well as skin changes, cancer of the skin, bladder, liver and lungs and developmental delays (arsenic). In this study soil samples were collected, using US EPA methods, from gardens in four Johannesburg neighborhoods, and analyzed for lead and arsenic content using a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The results showed widely varied concentrations of arsenic and lead in soil collected across the four neighborhoods. Concentrations of lead (range: 0.1-2141.0 mg/kg; mean: 241.7 mg/kg (SD 282.8); median 158.1 mg/kg) exceeding local and international reference levels were found in an inner city suburb, while raised arsenic concentrations (range: 0.1-65.3 mg/kg; mean: 18.3 mg/kg (SD 11.7); median: 19.1) were found in the gardens of a suburb located very close to a mine tailings facility. This study confirms the potential for high levels of exposure to toxic metals in residential gardens in an urban African setting. There is a pressing need for scaled up attention to the public health implications of exposure to soil pollution in developing countries.
2017 年柳叶刀污染与健康委员会认定土壤是公众日常暴露于多种污染物的一个重要途径。铅和砷是两种潜在的土壤污染物，它们与严重的健康影响有关，包括智力下降、行为影响和攻击或暴力行为（铅），以及皮肤变化、皮肤癌、膀胱癌、肝癌和肺癌以及发育迟缓（砷）。在这项研究中，使用美国环保署的方法从约翰内斯堡四个社区的花园中采集土壤样本，并使用便携式 X 射线荧光光谱仪分析土壤中铅和砷的含量。结果显示，四个社区采集的土壤中砷和铅的浓度差异很大。在一个市中心郊区发现了浓度超过当地和国际参考水平的铅（范围：0.1-2141.0mg/kg；平均值：241.7mg/kg（SD 282.8）；中位数 158.1mg/kg），而在一个非常靠近矿山尾矿设施的郊区花园中发现了砷浓度升高（范围：0.1-65.3mg/kg；平均值：18.3mg/kg（SD 11.7）；中位数：19.1）。这项研究证实了在非洲城市环境中，住宅花园中存在接触有毒金属的高风险。迫切需要关注发展中国家土壤污染对公众健康的影响。
