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Concentrations of heavy metals in water, sediments and aquatic organisms from a closed realgar mine

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Abstract

Mining activities can result in severe heavy metal contamination in freshwater ecosystems and lead to significant health risks. In this study, eight heavy metal concentrations in the water, sediments and aquatic organisms, including eighteen fish species, two shrimp species, one crab species and one amphibian frog species of the abandoned Shimen Realgar Mine area, were analysed. The results showed that most of the heavy metals detected in water, sediments and fish from the mine area were at relatively high levels, and historical realgar mining activities were a major source of arsenic (As) contamination in this area. We concluded that heavy metal bioaccumulation is species- and tissue-specific and is different for each element and sampling site. The concentration of heavy metals in fish was generally lower than that of the other aquatic organism species; these concentrations varied among different species with different feeding habits and habitats. The study showed that heavy metal concentrations were lower in muscle tissue than in other tissues (e.g. liver, skin, exoskeleton). A significant positive correlation between the As concentrations in sediment and fish was observed, indicating that sediment is an important factor affecting As accumulation in fish; thus, for fish protection, controlling the sources of water and sediment contamination is essential. Furthermore, the estimated daily intake (EDI) of all metals was acceptable, and the corresponding target hazard quotient (THQ) and total target hazard quotient (TTHQ) values were less than 1; hence, there was no serious health risk through fish consumption in this area.

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Data Availability

The datasets used and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Zhu Xiangdong and Mr. Liu Jinxin for their assistance with field sampling. We appreciate the constructive and insightful comments of the anonymous reviewers, which helped to greatly improve the quality of this manuscript.

Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41907325; 41877385; 41571470).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Fen Yang, Chaoyang Wei & Xiao Yang

  2. Sino-Japan Friendship Center for Environmental Protection, Beijing, China

    Huan Zhang

  3. School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, China

    Shaowen Xie

  4. Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, China

    Shaowen Xie

  5. National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-Environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-Environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China

    Shaowen Xie

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  1. Fen Yang
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  4. Chaoyang Wei
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Contributions

Fen Yang designed the experiment, completed sample processing, analysed and interpreted the data and was a major contributor in writing the manuscript. Huan Zhang and Shaowen Xie provided guidance on grammar and content and modified the manuscript. Chaoyang Wei directed the experiment and designed the framework of the paper. Xiao Yang reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Fen Yang.

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Yang, F., Zhang, H., Xie, S. et al. Concentrations of heavy metals in water, sediments and aquatic organisms from a closed realgar mine. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 4959–4971 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22563-2

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