{"title":"Integrated Deterministic and Probabilistic Methods Reveal Heavy Metal-Induced Health Risks in Guizhou, China.","authors":"Qinju Li, Dashuan Li, Zelan Wang, Dali Sun, Ting Zhang, Qinghai Zhang","doi":"10.3390/toxics13060515","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Due to high geological background and intensive mining activities, soils are prone to heavy metals (HMs) accumulation and ecological fragility in Guizhou Province, China. A total of 740 topsoil samples were therefore collected, and aimed to determine the concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb, estimate the ecological pollution, and evaluate the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks to humans. Results showed As (1.08%) and Cd (24.46%) in soil exceeded standards. The Igeo showed that Cr (1.49%) and Hg (31.62%) in soil were at light pollution levels; single factor pollution index (PI) showed that Cd (21.35%) in soil was mildly polluted; risk index (RI) as at a low risk level. Notably, both deterministic and Monte Carlo analyses revealed unacceptable carcinogenic risks for As and Cr in children, with traditional methods potentially underestimating As risks. Moreover, Target-Organ Toxicity Dose (TTD) revealed soil HMs as a higher risk to hematological health, with notable health risks posed by Pb in children. It is noted that spatial distribution analysis suggested that the southwestern region of Guizhou Province should be prioritized for health risk management and control. By integrating the uniqueness of geological environments, multi-dimensional health risk assessments, and spatial distributions, the present study provides a scientific basis for assessing HMs pollution risks and soil health risks in the karst regions.</p>","PeriodicalId":23195,"journal":{"name":"Toxics","volume":"13 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12197724/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Toxics","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13060515","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Due to high geological background and intensive mining activities, soils are prone to heavy metals (HMs) accumulation and ecological fragility in Guizhou Province, China. A total of 740 topsoil samples were therefore collected, and aimed to determine the concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb, estimate the ecological pollution, and evaluate the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks to humans. Results showed As (1.08%) and Cd (24.46%) in soil exceeded standards. The Igeo showed that Cr (1.49%) and Hg (31.62%) in soil were at light pollution levels; single factor pollution index (PI) showed that Cd (21.35%) in soil was mildly polluted; risk index (RI) as at a low risk level. Notably, both deterministic and Monte Carlo analyses revealed unacceptable carcinogenic risks for As and Cr in children, with traditional methods potentially underestimating As risks. Moreover, Target-Organ Toxicity Dose (TTD) revealed soil HMs as a higher risk to hematological health, with notable health risks posed by Pb in children. It is noted that spatial distribution analysis suggested that the southwestern region of Guizhou Province should be prioritized for health risk management and control. By integrating the uniqueness of geological environments, multi-dimensional health risk assessments, and spatial distributions, the present study provides a scientific basis for assessing HMs pollution risks and soil health risks in the karst regions.
ToxicsChemical Engineering-Chemical Health and Safety
CiteScore
4.50
自引率
10.90%
发文量
681
审稿时长
6 weeks
期刊介绍:
Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304) is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal which provides an advanced forum for studies related to all aspects of toxic chemicals and materials. It publishes reviews, regular research papers, and short communications. Our aim is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results in detail. There is, therefore, no restriction on the maximum length of the papers, although authors should write their papers in a clear and concise way. The full experimental details must be provided so that the results can be reproduced. Electronic files or software regarding the full details of calculations and experimental procedure can be deposited as supplementary material, if it is not possible to publish them along with the text.