Shao Shaobin, Tang Yuan, Wang Chao, Liu Xinyuan, Wang Congqing, Wang Wanjun
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Guangdong Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
Guangzhou Key Laboratory Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Ecological Security and Green Development, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
Environ Geochem Health. 2025 Jul 9;47(8):308. doi: 10.1007/s10653-025-02625-3.
The accumulation of heavy metal(loid)s (HMs) in groundwater from mining and smelting industries threatens ecological systems and public health, yet quantitative source-oriented health risks to surrounding residents remain underexplored. This study investigated the pollution characteristics, spatial distribution, source apportionment, and associated health risks of HMs in groundwater at a typical mining-smelting site in China. Sixteen villages near the industrial complex were designated as the exposure area, while three villages 30 km away served as the control area. Fourteen HMs (Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mo, As, Cd, Pb, Sb, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Tl) were detected in the exposure area's groundwater, with a total HM (ΣHMs) mean concentration of 74.07 μg/L-significantly higher than the control area's 37.08 μg/L. Essential HMs (EHMs) dominated the composition, with Zn and Fe as the most abundant elements, whereas non-essential HMs (NEHMs) like Cr and Pb exceeded drinking water standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). Spatial distribution showed high HM contamination at sites adjacent to the smelting plant. Principal components analysis (PCA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) models identified mining (34.0%) and smelting (41.3%) as major sources of HMs. Probabilistic health risk assessment via Monte Carlo simulation revealed that 17.9% of adult and 24.7% of child carcinogenic risks in the exposure area exceeded the definite risk threshold value of 10, primarily driven by As and Cr ingestion. Source-oriented health risks were assessed by integrating PMF source apportionment into risk model to evaluate the HM risks from identified sources. Results revealed that smelting activities contributed 43.5% (adults) and 43.6% (children) of total carcinogenic risks, while mining accounted for 36.0% in both populations. These findings highlight smelting operations as the primary driver of groundwater HM contamination and emphasize the need for targeted groundwater remediation to mitigate health risks from industrial activities.
采矿和冶炼行业导致地下水中重金属（类金属）的积累，威胁着生态系统和公众健康，但针对周边居民的以源头为导向的定量健康风险仍未得到充分研究。本研究调查了中国一个典型采矿 - 冶炼场地地下水中重金属的污染特征、空间分布、源解析及相关健康风险。将工业园区附近的16个村庄划定为暴露区域，而30公里外的3个村庄作为对照区域。在暴露区域的地下水中检测到14种重金属（锰、铁、铜、锌、钼、砷、镉、铅、锑、钒、铬、钴、镍、铊），总重金属（Σ重金属）平均浓度为74.07μg/L，显著高于对照区域的37.08μg/L。必需重金属（EHMs）在组成中占主导地位，锌和铁是含量最高的元素，而非必需重金属（NEHMs）如铬和铅超过了世界卫生组织（WHO）和美国环境保护局（U.S. EPA）设定的饮用水标准。空间分布显示，冶炼厂附近的场地重金属污染程度较高。主成分分析（PCA）和正定矩阵因子分解（PMF）模型确定采矿（34.0%）和冶炼（41.3%）是重金属的主要来源。通过蒙特卡罗模拟进行的概率健康风险评估表明，暴露区域17.9%的成年人和24.7%的儿童致癌风险超过了确定的风险阈值10，主要由砷和铬的摄入所致。通过将PMF源解析整合到风险模型中，以评估已识别来源的重金属风险，从而评估以源头为导向的健康风险。结果显示，冶炼活动对总致癌风险的贡献在成年人中为43.5%，在儿童中为43.6%，而采矿在两个群体中均占36.0%。这些发现突出了冶炼作业是地下水重金属污染的主要驱动因素，并强调需要有针对性地进行地下水修复，以降低工业活动带来的健康风险。
