College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China.
State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, PR China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 May 20;926:172061. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172061. Epub 2024 Mar 28.
China faces a serious challenge with water pollution posed by potentially toxic elements (PTEs). Comprehensive and reliable environmental risk assessment is paramount for precise pollution prevention and control. Previous studies generally focused on a single environmental compartment within small regions, and the uncertainty in risk calculation is not fully considered. This study revealed the current exposure status of 11 PTEs in surface water and sediment across China using previously reported concentration data in 301 well-screened articles. Ecological and human health risks were evaluated and the uncertainty related to calculation parameters and exposure dataset were quantified. PTEs of high concern were further identified. Results showed Mn and Zn had the highest concentration levels, while Hg and Cd had the lowest concentrations in both surface water and sediment. Risk assessment of individual PTE showed that high-risk PTEs varied by risk receptors and environmental compartments. Nationwide, the probability of aquatic organisms being affected by Mn, Zn, Cu, and As in surface water exceeded 10 %. In sediment, Cd and Hg exhibited high and considerable risk, respectively. As was identified as the major PTE threatening human health as its carcinogenic risk was 1.45 × 10 through direct ingestion. Combined risk assessment showed the PTE mixture in surface water and sediment posed medium and high ecological risk with the risk quotient and potential ecological risk index of 1.76 and 558.36, respectively. Adverse health effects through incidental ingestion and dermal contact during swimming were negligible. This study provides a nationwide risk assessment of PTEs in China's aquatic environment and the robustness is verified, which can serve as a practical basis for policymakers to guide the early warning and precise management of water pollution.
中国面临着由潜在有毒元素（PTEs）引起的水污染严重挑战。全面、可靠的环境风险评估对于精准的污染防治至关重要。以往的研究通常集中在小区域内的单一环境介质，并且没有充分考虑风险计算中的不确定性。本研究利用之前在 301 篇精心筛选的文章中报道的浓度数据，揭示了中国地表水和沉积物中 11 种 PTE 的当前暴露状况。评估了生态和人体健康风险，并量化了与计算参数和暴露数据集相关的不确定性。进一步确定了高关注的 PTE。结果表明，Mn 和 Zn 的浓度水平最高，而 Hg 和 Cd 的浓度在地表水和沉积物中最低。对单个 PTE 的风险评估表明，高风险 PTE 因风险受体和环境介质而异。在全国范围内，地表水和沉积物中 Mn、Zn、Cu 和 As 对水生生物的影响概率超过 10%。在沉积物中，Cd 和 Hg 分别表现出高风险和相当大的风险。As 被确定为主要的 PTE，因为其致癌风险为 1.45×10，通过直接摄入。综合风险评估表明，地表水和沉积物中 PTE 混合物具有中等和高生态风险，风险商数和潜在生态风险指数分别为 1.76 和 558.36。游泳时偶然摄入和皮肤接触造成的不良健康影响可以忽略不计。本研究提供了中国水环境污染中 PTE 的全国范围风险评估，并进行了稳健性验证，可为政策制定者提供实用依据，指导水污染的预警和精准管理。
