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Analysis of Heavy Metal Contamination of Agricultural Soils and Related Effect on Population Health—A Case Study for East River Basin in China

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Listed:
  • Liping He

    (School of Public Health, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou 423000, China)

  • Wei Hu

    (Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China)

  • Xiaofeng Wang

    (School of Public Health, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou 423000, China)

  • Yu Liu

    (School of Public Health, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou 423000, China)

  • Yan Jiang

    (School of Public Health, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou 423000, China)

  • Yanbin Meng

    (School of Public Health, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou 423000, China)

  • Qipeng Xiao

    (School of Public Health, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou 423000, China)

  • Xinxin Guo

    (School of Public Health, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou 423000, China)

  • Yanfeng Zhou

    (School of Public Health, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou 423000, China)

  • Yongyi Bi

    (School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Yuanan Lu

    (Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, 1960 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA)

Abstract

To understand the heavy metal pollution in agricultural soils along the East River basin and assess the pollution related health effect to local residents, interviews and archived data were obtained to identify the study sites affected by polluted tailing. Soil samples were collected and tested for heavy metal content and the Comprehensive Pollution Index (CPI). The degree of pollution of agricultural soils in the area was assessed using GIS-based Spatial distribution map of heavy metals and the trend of soil heavy metal risk. Two villages (Matian and Zhudui) near the East River were included in this study for health effect assessment. A total of 193 residents aged 15 or above from each village were tested for the present status of chronic diseases. Convenient sampling method was used to collect blood samples from 78 residents for heavy metal concentration. The contents of Pb, Cd, As, Zn, and Cu in the agricultural soils were all over the standards with a moderate to severe CPI. Among these metals, Cd was the highest followed by Pb, and Cu was the lowest. The contents of Pb, Cd, As, and Zn tend to be higher in soils closer to the river. The prevalence of chronic diseases was over 30%, which is significantly higher than the report from the national central region (23.15%). The average blood lead level (BLL) among children under 14 years is 7.42 μg/dL. Although the adults in Matian village had a significantly higher BLL (χ 2 = 8.70, p = 0.03) as compared to Zhudui village, there was no significant difference for the prevalence of chronic diseases between the two villages (χ 2 = 3.23, p = 0.09). The mean BLL of children and the proportion of children with BLL ≥ 10 µg/dL in this study are equivalent to the national average. The higher BLL concentration and prevalence of chronic diseases in adults might be due to their long-term exposure to heavy metal contamination environment and higher background level of heavy metals. Findings from this study will form the baseline information for local government to the development of effective approaches to control the heavy metal contamination and reduce the pollution related adverse health effect on local residents.

Suggested Citation

  • Liping He & Wei Hu & Xiaofeng Wang & Yu Liu & Yan Jiang & Yanbin Meng & Qipeng Xiao & Xinxin Guo & Yanfeng Zhou & Yongyi Bi & Yuanan Lu, 2020. "Analysis of Heavy Metal Contamination of Agricultural Soils and Related Effect on Population Health—A Case Study for East River Basin in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-14, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:6:p:1996-:d:333978
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Margai, Florence & Henry, Norah, 2003. "A community-based assessment of learning disabilities using environmental and contextual risk factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 56(5), pages 1073-1085, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Songtao Liu & Furong Yu & Jianuo Zhang, 2022. "Heavy-Metal Speciation Distribution and Adsorption Characteristics of Cr (VI) in the Soil within Sewage Irrigation Areas," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-18, May.

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