Environmental Geochemistry and Health最新文献

{"title":"Radiological characteristics of coal-to-ash transformation: a paired coal-ash assessment of natural radionuclides.","authors":"Aneta Łukaszek-Chmielewska, Marzena Rachwał, Joanna Rakowska, Barbara Piotrowska, Krzysztof Isajenko, Mirosław Szyłak-Szydłowski","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03509-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03509-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in coal and its combustion residues represent a potential source of environmental contamination, particularly under large-scale energy production and waste reuse scenarios. However, the radiological transformation of radionuclides during coal combustion remains insufficiently quantified. This study applies a paired coal-ash approach to assess systematic changes in the activity concentrations of ⁴⁰K, ²²⁶Ra, and ²³²Th and associated radiological hazard indices. Nine hard coal samples from Poland and international sources, together with their corresponding bottom ashes produced under controlled combustion conditions, were analysed using gamma-ray spectrometry. All coal samples exhibited low radionuclide activities, with concentrations below global average values. In contrast, combustion resulted in a highly consistent and approximately six-fold increase in radionuclide activity and all radiological indices, accompanied by complete directional consistency and very large effect sizes (r = 0.889). This increase reflects the concentration of naturally occurring radionuclides within the mineral residue, as the organic fraction of coal is removed during combustion. These findings demonstrate that combustion acts as a predictable process of radionuclide enrichment and radiological amplification. Enrichment factors ranged from approximately 3.8 to 9.9 across the analysed coal-ash pairs, and the external gamma radiation dose rate exceeded the recommended reference level of 54 nGy h⁻¹ in all nine ash samples. Although most ash samples remained within recommended radiological limits, the magnitude and uniformity of enrichment indicate a potential risk of secondary environmental contamination and increased environmental exposure-particularly where combustion residues are reused in construction materials or land applications. It should be noted, however, that this study assessed the potential for such impact based on elevated radioactive activity of the ash, rather than on direct observation of radionuclide migration into the environment. The results highlight the need to treat coal combustion residues as radiologically distinct materials-at least under the combustion conditions investigated in the present study-and to incorporate transformation processes into environmental risk assessment and management frameworks.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13623988/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149079792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction: Nature-based solutions for nutrient and emerging contaminant reduction in a Mediterranean Ramsar wetland.","authors":"Emilio Moreno, María Gómez-Pozuelos, Francisco Guerrero, Cristina Postigo, África Lupión, José María Conde-Porcuna, Inmaculada de Vicente","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03493-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03493-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13624014/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149079668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of hydrodynamic conditions on heavy metal distribution and ecological risk in freshwater sediments: a comparative study of reservoir and stream ecosystems.","authors":"Koray Özşeker, Yahya Terzi, Nigar Alkan, Kadir Seyhan","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03481-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03481-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study provides a comparative and process-oriented assessment of heavy metal contamination in surface sediments across freshwater ecosystems in the Eastern Black Sea region (Türkiye), aiming to elucidate the role of hydrodynamic conditions and anthropogenic inputs in shaping metal distribution and ecological risk. Sediment samples were collected seasonally between December 2024-2025 from Muratlı Reservoir (lentic system) and two lotic systems, Arılı and Çağlayan streams, with four sampling stations in each ecosystem. Concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, As, Co, and Cr were determined using ICP-MS, and contamination was evaluated using geochemical indices and sediment quality guidelines. Metal concentrations exhibited pronounced spatial variability among the systems. Arılı Stream showed the highest accumulation levels, with concentration ranges of Cu (53.5-120.5 μg/g), Pb (27.5-55.5 μg/g), Zn (142.8-215 μg/g), Ni (27.2-46.5 μg/g), As (19.3-66 μg/g), Co (20.4-55.6 μg/g), and Cr (55.0-164 μg/g). In contrast, Çağlayan Stream exhibited elevated concentrations for Cu (55.3-117.4 μg/g), Pb (37.1-92.6 μg/g), and Zn (120.3-166 μg/g), while other elements remained within moderate ranges. Muratlı Reservoir showed lower but variable concentrations, with Cu ranging between 43.6 and 72.3 μg/g and Zn between 83 and 138 μg/g. Seasonal patterns indicated increased metal concentrations during summer and autumn.The integrated assessment identified As and Pb as the primary elements of concern, while Zn and Ni were secondary contributors with potential ecological implications. Overall, the findings demonstrate that contamination and ecological risks are system dependent. Comparison with sediment quality guidelines identified As and Pb as the primary ecological concerns, emphasizing the need for continuous monitoring, effective pollution control, and sustainable sediment management.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149079698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Data driven prediction of uranium in groundwater for environmental radioactivity surveillance.","authors":"P Padma Savitri, Utkarsh Bharadwaj, B Ramesh, J Sudhakar, R Balaram Kumar, Manoj Warrier, A D P Rao","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03510-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03510-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Uranium occurrence in groundwater is governed by complex hydrogeochemical processes, yet routine monitoring remains analytically demanding. A dataset of 1295 groundwater samples collected from a coastal region of southeastern India during 2016-2025 was used to develop a machine learning framework for predicting uranium concentrations from routinely measured physicochemical parameters. Multi-threshold binary classification was implemented at 2, 15, and 30 µg L⁻¹, representing precautionary, guideline, and regulatory levels, respectively. Advanced ensemble learning algorithms were evaluated under pronounced class imbalance conditions. Under pronounced class imbalance, CatBoost achieved the highest performance at 2 µg L⁻¹ (F1-score = 80.8%), while LightGBM performed best at 15 µg L⁻¹ (F1-score = 66.6%). At 30 µg L⁻¹, Isolation Forest achieved 100% recall with a 1.12% false-positive rate, reducing laboratory screening workload by 98.7%. TDS, hardness, chloride, and sulphate were the dominant predictors, with SHAP analysis linking their contributions to mineral dissolution, salinity evolution, and carbonate complexation influencing uranium mobility. Climate change may further modify these processes through altered recharge, water-rock interactions, and groundwater salinity (Barbieri, Marino Domenico et al.,2021). The study uniquely integrates routine physicochemical predictors, multi-threshold classification aligned with evolving WHO guidelines, and one-class anomaly detection for rare-event uranium screening. The framework offers a cost-effective approach for environmental monitoring and early warning, supporting public health protection, regulatory decision-making, and sustainable groundwater.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149073832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficient removal of composite organic micro-pollutants by amphiphilic modified magnetic biochar.","authors":"Shengyang Zou, Zhenhong Wu, Qianhong Yang, Yuping Zhang, Mei Zhang, Shilin Zhao, Jun Ma, Xiaoting Li, Yang Liao","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03487-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03487-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Waterborne organic micro-pollutants threaten both ecological integrity and human health. However, the simultaneous elimination of these contaminants remains challenging. We synthesized a magnetic biochar (CD/Fe₃O₄-BC) with amphiphilic and magnetic properties via a coprecipitation method using humic acid, iron compounds, and β-cyclodextrin as raw materials, followed by optimization of the preparation conditions. Surface and bulk properties of the modified biochar were probed by multiple analytical techniques, including SEM, BET, FT-IR, XRD, and XPS. The results showed that decorating the biochar surface with Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and β-cyclodextrin substantially expanded its specific surface area and generated new active sites for pollutant adsorption. Adsorption experiments demonstrated that CD/ Fe₃O₄-BC efficiently removed both hydrophobic 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) and hydrophilic tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH), achieving removal rates of 86.38% and 85.45%, respectively. Under the optimal adsorption conditions, CD/ Fe₃O₄-BC achieved equilibrium adsorption capacities reaching approximately 105.71 mg g^-1 toward 2,4-DCP and 35.44 mg g^-1 toward TCH in the binary mixed system. The adsorption process involved multiple mechanisms, including pore filling, hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking, and electrostatic attraction. Furthermore, surface complexation contributed specifically to TCH adsorption. The Fe₃O₄ loading enables rapid magnetic separation of the spent adsorbent, and reusability tests showed that the material maintained elevated removal efficiency over five successive reuse cycles. This work provides a promising strategy for treating composite organic micropollutants in water.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149073761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatiotemporal variability, trends, and health risk assessment of ambient PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ in Bangladesh during 2018-2025.","authors":"Rafi Bin Shahadat, Sayma Sultana Keya, Md Tushar Ali","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03506-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03506-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ambient particulate pollution remains a major health concern in Bangladesh, yet its spatial, temporal, meteorological, and health-risk characteristics across Bangladesh remain insufficiently characterized. This study assessed PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentrations recorded at 16 Department of Environment continuous monitoring stations across Bangladesh during 2018-2025. Annual, monthly, and seasonal variability were evaluated using descriptive statistics, non-parametric comparisons, Spearman correlation, and Seasonal Mann-Kendall and tests. Kriging interpolation was used only for exploratory visualization because of limited predictive performance. Health risks were assessed using Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) for PM_2.5 and Hazard Quotient (HQ) for both particulate matters. All stations exceeded the Bangladesh National Ambient Air Quality Standards and WHO Air Quality Guidelines in every year. Network-wide annual mean PM_2.5 decreased from 91.54 µg/m³ in 2018 to 77.64 µg/m³ in 2025 (- 15.2%), while PM₁₀ decreased from 155.7 to 132.3 µg/m³ (- 15.0%), although both trends were non-monotonic and rebounded after the 2020 minimum. A pronounced seasonal pattern was observed, with mean winter concentrations approximately 4.2 and 3.0 times higher than monsoon concentrations for PM_2.5 and PM₁₀, respectively. PM concentrations were generally negatively associated with temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and rainfall, which indicates strong meteorological control. Most seasonal trends were statistically nonsignificant, which suggested that interannual variability rather than a consistent nationwide trend. Mean ELCR for PM_2.5 ranged from 0.476 to 0.950, while mean HQ values were 3.60 and 2.73 for PM_2.5 and PM₁₀, respectively. These findings support stronger particulate emission controls, expanded air-quality monitoring, and seasonally targeted interventions to reduce population exposure across Bangladesh.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149069355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Overview of ecological risk assessment of heavy metals with the approach of land uses affecting soil pollution.","authors":"Mohammadmahdi Khalili, Ahmad Nohegar, Touraj Nasrabadi","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03482-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03482-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Soil contamination with toxic elements is a major environmental concern. This study has attempted to provide an overall assessment of heavy metal (HM) pollution status in Iran's soil, particularly due to a lack of information on determining contamination levels across different land uses (LUs). A systematic review was utilized to extract manuscripts in which anthropogenic activities affect the HM level in soil. 195 papers were selected by March 2025. 10 HMs (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) within 9 LUs (industrial areas, mining areas, landfill areas, river sediments, roadside, agricultural areas, urban areas, coastal sediments, and wetland sediments) were analyzed for 7 soil pollution indices (CF (contamination factor), EF (enrichment factor), PLI (pollution load index), Er_i (ecological risk), PERI (potential ecological risk index, RAC (risk assessment code), and I_geo (geoaccumulation index)). The impact of human activities was traced in all LUs, with smoother conditions for Mn and V in the CF mean calculation, Co, Ni, Mn, and V in the EF mean calculation, and Co, Cr, Mn, and V in the I_geo calculation. Low ecological risk was only recorded in wetland sediments (136.89), and PLI values fell within low pollution (PLI < 1) in wetland and river sediments with 0.837 and 0.856, respectively. RAC mean values for Cd (46%), Hg (46%), Mn (37%), Pb (34%), As (32%), and V (32%) were estimated to pose a high risk to the environment due to high potential for mobility. Er_i mean value was only estimated with high ecological risk potential for Hg (in agricultural, roadside, coastal, and river sediments) and Cd (in roadside and industrial areas). By comparing the HM average concentration in all LUs, the industrial area was found to have the worst status. Some reported concentrations were up to around two orders of magnitude higher than corresponding ranges on a global scale. The output of this paper can help environmental planners establish strategies for optimal management of HM pollution in different LUs and pave the way for future research to have a more precise understanding of HM pollution levels in developing countries, specifically in the Middle East.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149069325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sediment-derived humic fractions regulate phosphate adsorption and retention by calcined modified red clay.","authors":"Anqi Guo, Xuemei Chen, Tongtong Rao, Debora Nkhata, Ninren Su, Wen Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03511-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03511-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Calcined modified red clay produced at 700 ° C (MRC-700) has been widely applied for phosphate removal in eutrophic waters. However, humic substances released from sediments may interfere with phosphate fixation and reduce its retention stability. This study employed sediment-derived humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) as representative humic fractions to examine their effects, together with critical water chemistry parameters, on phosphate adsorption, competition, and release behaviors related to MRC-700. Both HA and FA inhibited phosphate adsorption by MRC-700, although the magnitude of inhibition differed substantially between the two fractions. At the highest humic-fraction concentration tested, HA and FA reduced phosphate adsorption at 480 min by 74.1% and 40.8%, respectively. Preloading experiments further demonstrated that HA was more effective at destabilizing previously fixed phosphate. At a humic-fraction concentration of 100 mg·L^-1, phosphate desorption induced by HA and FA reached 17.9% and 7.5%, respectively. Water chemistry conditions further regulated these competitive interactions. Lower pH and higher temperature enhanced phosphate adsorption by MRC-700, whereas the inhibitory effects of humic fractions persisted across these conditions. Increasing ionic strength mitigated the adverse influence of humic fractions on phosphate adsorption. Overall, the results indicate that sediment-derived HA can substantially constrain both the phosphate adsorption capacity and retention stability of MRC-700. These findings highlight the importance of considering humic-fraction composition and water chemistry when evaluating the effectiveness of mineral-based phosphorus control materials in eutrophic aquatic systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149059487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From concentration patterns to source attribution and health risk: clarifying the evidential chain in Durgapur road dust.","authors":"Luis F O Silva","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03512-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03512-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This Correspondence examines the evidential chain linking chemical measurements, source attribution, spatial interpretation, and human-health risk assessment in the recent study of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in roadside dust along NH-19 in the Durgapur Industrial Area, eastern India, by Koley et al. (2026). The study combines ICP-OES analysis, scanning electron microscopy, geochemical indices, spatial interpolation, Pearson correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and health-risk calculations. The integrated approach is valuable, but several points require clarification before the strongest conclusions can be reproduced and interpreted consistently. The published Abstract reports mean concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn and Cr that differ substantially from the means reported for the 14 composite samples in Table 3, and it also reports children's hazard-index values that differ from Table 8. The description of 14 composite samples collected in triplicate versus n = 42 in the Abstract also requires explicit identification of the statistical unit used in multivariate analyses. Further, PCA and HCA provide source associations rather than quantitative source contributions; the < 63 μm laboratory fraction should not be equated with an inhalable PM fraction; and total concentrations provide screening-level rather than exposure-dose estimates when bioaccessibility and chemical speciation are not measured. Finally, the text describing the carcinogenic assessment does not appear to correspond to the elements for which TCR values are displayed in Table 8. These clarifications would strengthen the transparency, reproducibility and environmental-health interpretation of the study.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149059561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating pollution indices and multivariate statistics to assess heavy and trace element contamination and human health risks in a tropical coal mining region.","authors":"Shubham Singh, Deep Raj, Preeti Kumari, Subodh Kumar Maiti","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03503-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03503-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Heavy and trace elements (HTEs), including Aluminium (Al), molybdenum (Mo), rubidium (Rb), strontium (Sr), titanium (Ti), barium (Ba), gallium (Ga), tin (Sn), and vanadium (V) are naturally present in the Earth's crust; however, their concentrations in soils may increase in areas affected by intensive mining activities. This study investigated the distribution of these HTEs in soils collected at increasing distances (20, 50, 300, and 700 m) from an open-cast coal mine in the Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), Talcher, Odisha, India, at two soil depths (0-15 and 15-30 cm). Soil contamination was evaluated using the contamination factor (Cf) and geo-accumulation index (I_geo), while ecological and human health risks were assessed using standard risk assessment approaches. The contamination indices generally decreased with increasing distance from the mine, indicating a spatial pattern of relative enrichment. Among the investigated elements, Sn and Ga exhibited the highest relative enrichment with respect to the selected local background, whereas the interpretation of Al and Ti was made cautiously because of their predominantly lithogenic origin. Multivariate statistical analyses (PCA and HCA) identified distinct associations among trace elements, suggesting the combined influence of natural geological factors and possible mining-related inputs. Human health risk assessment indicated that soil ingestion was the dominant exposure pathway, with children exhibiting higher average daily intake (ADI), hazard quotient (HQ), and hazard index (HI) values than adults. Vanadium contributed most to the non-carcinogenic risk through ingestion and dermal exposure, whereas Al was the major contributor through inhalation. Overall, the study provides baseline information on the distribution, relative enrichment, ecological risk, and screening-level human health risks of HTEs in soils of the Talcher coalfield and supports future environmental monitoring and detailed source apportionment studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149037233","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}