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Spatial Distribution and Assessment of the Human Health Risks of Heavy Metals in a Retired Pharmaceutical Industrial Area, Southwest China

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Abstract

Heavy metals pollution in pharmaceutical industries received increasing attention. A total of 94 soil samples were collected in this study. Results showed the mean contents of Hg, Cd, As, Pb, Ni and Cu were 0.21, 0.26, 9.59, 55.06, 51.52 and 50.81 mg·kg−1, respectively. The spatial distribution of metals in topsoil largely attributed to the pharmaceutical production process. The distribution of Hg and As were related to the production of medical absorbent cotton. While Ni was related to the fuel supply of Ni-rich coal. Cr, Cu and Pb mainly distributed in the process which they were used as catalysts. The vertical migration of metals was complex in soil. To a great extent, it was related to the texture of the soil and the properties of metals in this filed. The total non-cancer and cancer human health risk were within the limits of USEPA (10–6 a−1). This demonstrated the health risks of individual’s exposure to heavy metals in this factory was acceptable.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Plan (Grant No. 2018YFC1802106) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project (Grant No. 2019M660822).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Beijing Municipal Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center, Beijing, 100048, People’s Republic of China

      Shiyu Wang, Zhaohui Ma, Bendong Zou & Baoxian Liu

    2. State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, People’s Republic of China

      Shiyu Wang, Haolan Wu, Pingping Wang, Chengcheng Xie, Shuo Wang & Wentao Jiao

    3. Key Laboratory of Hexi Corridor Resources Utilization of Gansu, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hexi University, Zhangye, 734000, Gansu, People’s Republic of China

      Guoren Yue

    4. Department of Environmental Engineering, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, Beijing, 102617, People’s Republic of China

      Ling Zhu & Cunzhen Liang

    5. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, People’s Republic of China

      Pingping Wang

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    1. Shiyu Wang
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    Wang, S., Ma, Z., Yue, G. et al. Spatial Distribution and Assessment of the Human Health Risks of Heavy Metals in a Retired Pharmaceutical Industrial Area, Southwest China. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 109, 808–816 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-022-03503-9

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