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Ecological risks and potential sources of heavy metals in agricultural soils from Huanghuai Plain, China

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Abstract

A total of 224 agricultural soil samples from Huanghuai Plain in China were investigated for the concentrations of seven heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn). The mean concentrations of the metals were 12, 0.17, 79, 0.04, 35, 25, and 74 mg/kg, respectively. These values are similar or slightly higher than background values in this region, except for Cd with a mean nearly twice the background value. The estimated ecological risks based on contamination factors and potential ecological risk indexes are also mostly low, but considerable for Cd and Hg. Multivariate analysis (including Pearson's correlation analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and principal component analysis) clearly revealed three distinct metal groups, i.e., Cr/Ni/Zn, As/Cd/Pb, and Hg, whose concentrations were closely associated with the distribution and pollution characteristics of industries in and around the plain. The main anthropogenic sources for the three metal groups were identified as atmospheric deposition, sewage irrigation/fertilizers usage, and atmospheric deposition/irrigation water, respectively. The present results are well suited for planning, risk assessment, and decision making by environmental managers of this region.

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Acknowledgments

This study is financially supported by a grant from the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program; no. 2012AA06A304) and the Key Program of the Special Scientific Research Fund of Environmental Public Welfare Profession of China (grant no. 201109017).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Lingli Zhou, Bing Yang, Nandong Xue, Fasheng Li, Yunzhong Yan, Bo Liu, Baolu Han & Huiying Li

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1033, Oslo, 0315, Norway

    Hans Martin Seip

  3. College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, 123000, China

    Xin Cong & Yunzhong Yan

Authors
  1. Lingli Zhou
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  2. Bing Yang
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  6. Xin Cong
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Correspondence to Nandong Xue.

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Responsible editor: Zhihong Xu

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Zhou, L., Yang, B., Xue, N. et al. Ecological risks and potential sources of heavy metals in agricultural soils from Huanghuai Plain, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 1360–1369 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-2023-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-2023-0

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