Environmental Geochemistry and Health最新文献

{"title":"Hidden toxicities: assessing city-wide contamination by potentially toxic elements from illegal dumping in Jackson, Mississippi.","authors":"Erica D Walker, Craig Klevan, Kelsey Mathews, Sai Venkat Mandalapu, Cristina Nica, Naira Ibrahim","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03450-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03450-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Illegal dumping is widespread where waste collection is unreliable, and municipal responses usually end with removal of visible waste, leaving the underlying soil unexamined. We asked whether elemental enrichment persists below the surface once waste is cleared, whether lithogenic and waste-derived contributions can be separated using field-portable screening alone, and whether a low-cost protocol can prioritize sites in a city without laboratory capacity. At 45 community-reported dumping sites across Jackson, Mississippi, we measured eight potentially toxic elements (the metalloid arsenic with cadmium, chromium, copper, manganese, nickel, lead and zinc) in composite soils at 0 to 2.5 cm and 15 cm by portable X-ray fluorescence, with laboratory ICP-OES on a 13-site subset for independent method comparison. Lead, copper and zinc dominated enrichment and co-occurred, and concentrations at 15 cm approached surface values, indicating the elemental burden is not lifted when surface waste is removed. Principal component and cluster analyses, corroborated by partial-extraction recoveries, separated a chromium, nickel and iron association consistent with lithogenic sources from a zinc, arsenic and lead association consistent with waste inputs. Distributions were strongly right-skewed, so ward means reflect a few extreme sites. A screening-level risk assessment gave hazard indices above unity at 21 of 45 sites for a child resident, driven largely by geogenic arsenic and manganese, whereas lead, the clearest waste-derived element, exceeded the United States Environmental Protection Agency residential soil screening level at 11 sites. Field screening with selective laboratory confirmation offers resource-limited cities a practical route to prioritize remediation.</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":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13612644/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149037003","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":"Integrated health risk assessment and management of heavy metal pollution in industrial estates of Neyshabur, Iran.","authors":"Mohammad Hassanabadi, Nilufar Marufi, Mehran YazdanDoust, Mohammad Mehralian, Somayeh Rahimimoghadam, Safoura Javan","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03494-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03494-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neyshabur's industrial growth has slowly changed the chemical makeup of the soils around it, but we still don't know enough about how this affects people's health. This study examined the concentrations, locations, and potential health impacts of specific heavy metals in proximity to four industrial estates. Nickel concentrations exceeded the guideline value, while chromium concentrations approached the recommended threshold, highlighting these metals as priorities for further environmental monitoring and health risk evaluation. This means that these two metals are more dangerous than the others. Both elements showed a lot of spatial heterogeneity, which suggests that the lithogenic background and emissions from nearby industries worked together to cause this. Fe and Mn showed stable natural patterns, but Cd showed a clear increase as the distance from the estates increased. This suggests that urban and agricultural sources are both contributing to the increase. Directional analysis also showed that there were peaks in concentration along the north-south axis close to a few estates. This means that the way industries are set up, the way transportation works, and the way pollutants move through the air could all have an effect. The health-risk assessment showed that the risks that weren't cancer-causing for both adults and kids were still safe. The carcinogenic risk linked to nickel, chiefly via ingestion, surpassed the USEPA standard in the Attar and Miyanjolgeh estates. This finding shows that even small amounts of pollution can cause long-term health problems.</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":"149036993","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":"Regional geochemical background values and upper geochemical thresholds in surface soils of Golmud, Qinghai: a multifractal analysis.","authors":"Chaoliang Zheng, Yilin Liu, Yanhui Jia, Yao Niu","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03500-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03500-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Regional geochemical background values are needed to interpret soil screening values in geologically enriched areas. This study aimed to derive regional background values and upper geochemical thresholds for 15 soil elements in the alpine and geologically heterogeneous Golmud area on the northern Tibetan Plateau. We analysed 3319 surface-soil samples using a multifractal accumulated concentration-area frequency approach and compared the resulting thresholds for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn with the agricultural-soil screening values specified in GB 15618-2018. The upper geochemical thresholds for Pb, Zn, Cr, and Ni differed by less than 15% from the corresponding national values, whereas the threshold was higher for As and lower for Cu and Hg. Regional thresholds were also derived for Co, U, Th, Mn, V, B, and P, for which element-specific screening values are unavailable in the evaluated standard. Lower D₂ values (< 2), indicating slower spatial decay within the second fitted concentration segment, characterized Co, Ni, V, and Cu, whereas Cr showed a higher D₂ of 2.86. The multifractal results provide regional geochemical reference information for soil assessment, monitoring prioritization, and mineral-exploration screening. Because these thresholds are derived from concentration distributions and do not incorporate toxicity, exposure pathways, land use, or bioavailability, they should complement rather than replace regulatory soil screening values.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149024386","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":"Efficacy of Fe/Mn (hydro)oxide-phosphate composites for synergistic immobilization of Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn and microecological regulation in mining soils.","authors":"Rui Xu, Yuchen Shi, Lang Liao, Zhe Yin, Qian Li, Guangfei Qu, Yan Zhang, Chenyang Yin, Yaxin Tian","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03498-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03498-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In situ stabilization is a practical strategy for mitigating multi-metal contamination while restoring soil ecological functions. In this study, Fe/Mn (hydr)oxide-phosphate composites (FMPs) were synthesized and applied to highly Cd-Pb-Cu-Zn co-contaminated mining soil. After 60 days of FMPs application (5 wt.%), DTPA-extractable Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn were effectively reduced by 70.10%, 99.82%, 68.30%, and 75.05%, respectively, successfully transforming target metals from labile (F1/F2) to stable (F3/F4) fractions. Physicochemically, FMPs applications elevated soil pH and essential nutrients (TP, AP, NH₄⁺-N), which directly correlated with the significant enhancement of soil enzymatic activities (S_ACP, S_CL and S_CAT). High-throughput sequencing further revealed that FMPs reconstructed the soil microbiome. While overall bacterial diversity decreased and fungal diversity increased, ecologically beneficial and metal-resistant taxa, including Chloroflexi, Bacteroidota and Pseudaleuria were significantly enriched. Moreover, molecular ecological network (MEN) analysis indicated that FMPs induced more tightly connected and stable bacterial networks while simplifying fungal networks, with low-abundance taxa primarily acting as keystone connectors. Furthermore, neutral community model (NCM) predictions verified that stochastic processes dominantly governed the assembly mechanisms of both bacterial and fungal communities during the restoration process. These multidimensional results systematically demonstrate that FMPs not only achieve highly efficient chemical stabilization of multiple heavy metals but also facilitate robust ecological restoration by optimizing microbial community.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149024380","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":"High-efficiency 'SAA' wetting agent for coal mine dust control: from preparation and mechanism to field application.","authors":"Hongyang Wang, Tianya Zhao, Han Wang, Hongwei Wang, Yuanhao Leng, Yishan Pan, Lianman Xu, Yanfei Zhu","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03491-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03491-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Coal mines generate large amounts of coal dust during mining operations. This is particularly true for coal seams at great depths, where stress concentrations, high coal strength, and poor permeability increase the likelihood of dust generation during mining. Furthermore, the mixed metallic substances in the coal hinder the penetration of water injection solutions into the pores and fractures of the coal mass. Traditional water injection methods struggle to effectively wet the coal mass, resulting in limited dust suppression. Therefore, to address these practical challenges, a composite wetting agent was developed, consisting of sodium gluconate (SG), fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO-3), and sodium fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether sulfate (AES), abbreviated as SAA. This wetting agent effectively reduces the solution's surface tension and contact angle, increases the number of oxygen-containing functional groups on the coal surface, and promotes agglomeration of micron-sized coal dust, resulting in a 22.58% increase in the median D₅₀ particle size compared to the original. Experiments using a custom-built dust-suppression simulation system revealed that the SAA wetting agent achieved an effective dust-suppression rate of 71.50%, which is 2.17 times that of traditional water-mist dust suppression. During on-site dust suppression tests conducted at the 3^-1802 working face of a certain mine using water injection with SAA wetting agent, the average coal dust particle size increased to 2.53 times the pre-injection value. The total dust suppression rate at various underground monitoring points reached 60-84%, effectively improving underground environmental quality and reducing the tendency of coal to fracture and generate dust. This approach successfully bridges laboratory mechanism analysis and underground field trials. It offers a new strategy to enhance the effectiveness of coal seam water injection and demonstrates significant engineering application value for occupational health and safety in deep coal mining.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149015907","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":"Long-term evolution of Fe oxyhydroxide mineralogy and potentially toxic element partitioning in mining-impacted sediments of the Lower Doce River fluvial-estuarine system.","authors":"Danilo de Lima Camêlo, Gabriel da Silva Abreu Souza, David Lukas de Arruda, Sara Ramos Dos Santos, Poliana Borges de Oliveira, Maria Tereza Weitzel Dias Carneiro, Tiago Guimarães","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03495-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03495-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The collapse of the Fundão dam in southeastern Brazil released large quantities of Fe-rich tailings into the Doce River basin, generating a long-term legacy of mining-derived sediments enriched in potentially toxic elements (PTEs). Although Fe oxyhydroxides are recognized as major geochemical hosts of contaminants, their long-term mineralogical evolution and relationships with PTE partitioning in tropical fluvial-estuarine systems remain poorly understood. This study investigated the distribution, crystallographic properties, and geochemical behavior of Fe oxyhydroxides in sediments collected from reservoir and estuarine environments of the lower Doce River between 2019 and 2024. Selective dissolution procedures, X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility measurements, and multivariate analyses were used to characterize Fe oxyhydroxide assemblages and their relationships with the investigated PTEs. Crystalline Fe oxyhydroxides predominated throughout the study area, although temporal variations in Fe partitioning were consistent with ongoing mineralogical reorganization across contrasting depositional environments. Higher Fe_o/Fe_d ratios at specific estuarine stations indicated relative enrichment of poorly crystalline Fe phases. Goethite remained the dominant Fe oxyhydroxide, whereas hematite exhibited greater spatial and temporal variability. Variations in crystal size, specific surface area, and Al substitution further suggest that Fe oxyhydroxide properties continue to evolve under present-day environmental conditions. Principal component analysis revealed strong associations between Fe oxyhydroxides and several PTEs, including As, Cr, Ni, Co, Pb, Zn, and Mo. The results indicate that Fe oxyhydroxides in mining-impacted sediments remain major geochemical hosts of the investigated PTEs more than a decade after the disaster, with their temporal variability closely associated with trace-element partitioning and potential redistribution. These findings highlight the importance of Fe mineralogy for understanding trace-element partitioning and potential redistribution and reinforce the value of mineralogical indicators and selective extraction procedures within long-term environmental monitoring frameworks.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13593675/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149015886","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":"Assessment of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in soil with gamma dose rates from quarries of the Mandya district, Karnataka, India.","authors":"Ramachandra Mudaganduru Nagaraju, Shashikumar Thuruganuru Siddaiah, Chandrashekar Dudda, Guddappa Halligudra, Anjan Kumar Jayaram","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03470-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03470-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Naturally occurring radionuclides (²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K) are commonly found in quarry fields, and the use of quarry-derived materials in construction can increase indoor radiation levels. The presence of these radionuclides increases background radiation, which prolongs health risk as indicated by WHO and ICRP guidelines. Therefore, assessing their radioactivity is crucial for public health and safe construction use. In the current study, soil samples collected from 21 quarry sites in Mandya district, Karnataka, India, and their activity concentration is measured using HPGe γ-ray spectrometer. The mean activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K were found to be 39.5, 81.5 and 656 Bq kg^-1, respectively. The average activity concentration ratios were calculated as ²³²Th/²²⁶Ra (2.05), ⁴⁰K/²²⁶Ra (16.65), and ⁴⁰K/²³²Th (8.15). The average values of Ra_eq, I_γr, H_ex and H_in were found to be 206.5 Bq kg^-1, 1.52, 0.56 and 0.66, respectively. In addition, the ambient γ-radiation levels measured using a calibrated ER-709 portable dosimeter yielded average values of 89.06 nGy h^-1 for absorbed γ dose rate, 0.11 mSv y^-1 for annual effective dose, 0.38 × 10^-3 for excess lifetime cancer risk and 671.22 μSv y^-1 for annual gonadal dose equivalent. These results collectively indicate low radiological risk within internationally accepted safety limits. The study also provides baseline data for future soil radioactivity monitoring and radiological assessments.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149007927","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":"Matrix effects on gross alpha determination in environmental water residues: an analytical framework based on effective alpha-particle mass range.","authors":"Le Dinh Hung, Phan Long Ho, Vu Tuan Minh, Lam Tran Van Anh, Le Quang Vuong, Le Hoang Minh, Van Thi Thao Loan, Bui Ngoc Thao Linh, Tran Thien Thanh, Chau Van Tao","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03492-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03492-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Matrix-dependent self-absorption constitutes a significant source of uncertainty in gross alpha activity determination. An analytical framework has been developed to integrate the effective alpha-particle mass range into gross-alpha counting efficiency calculations. This approach accounts for variations in alpha-particle stopping power across different residue compositions and offers a physically grounded alternative to the matrix-specific empirical calibration curves commonly employed in gas-proportional counting. The framework was evaluated using independent calibration datasets prepared with CaSO₄·2H₂O and CaCO₃ matrices, and further validated using IAEA proficiency testing samples analyzed between 2021 and 2025. The results closely aligned with experimental efficiency trends for both matrices within the thin-source method (residue mass below 100 mg, corresponding to a mass thickness of ≤ 5.2 mg cm^-2 in this study). All testing outcomes met the acceptance criteria of |Z| < 1.5. The method was subsequently applied to evaporative residues from coastal groundwater samples. Activities calculated using the analytical framework consistently differed from those determined with the conventional single-matrix CaSO₄·2H₂O calibration approach, with discrepancies ranging from 12.05 to 23.46%. The largest difference occurred in the sample with the highest residue mass thickness (3.99 mg cm^-2). The groundwater residues were composed primarily of sodium and chloride, demonstrating that residue composition can significantly affect counting efficiency estimates when a single calibration matrix is used for chemically diverse environmental samples. These findings indicate that incorporating residue composition into efficiency calculations enhances the reliability of gross alpha activity determination. The proposed framework provides a practical approach for matrix-dependent efficiency correction and may facilitate radiological screening and water quality assessments in regions with elevated natural radioactivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149001353","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":"Fate of post-blast residue in soils from an armed conflict zone determined by magnetic, microbiological, and ecotoxicological assessments.","authors":"Kseniia M Bondar, Anhelina Kyrychenko, Oleksandr Tashyrev, Ievgen Poliachenko, Volodymyr Bakhmutov, Anastasiia Sachko, Iryna Tsiupa, Volodymyr Karavan, Oleksandr Kruglov, Iryna Bida","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03497-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03497-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Weapon detonations generate substantial quantities of post-blast residue (PBR), which contributes iron-rich particles to soils. After deposition, these residues undergo redox transformations that produce bioavailable iron compounds, potentially increasing phytotoxic risks to agricultural crops. In the present study, soil contamination by detonation of military weapons was simulated by adding 1% of < 1 mm PBR to soil, and iron mobilization under waterlogged conditions was subsequently monitored. Scanning electron microscopy revealed two components in PBR: iron-bearing spherules and metallic fragments composed of an iron core with an oxidized surface layer. Magnetic analyses confirmed that waterlogging had a limited impact on PBR, with no significant changes in explosion-derived iron spherules; however, a decrease was observed in hematite-like phases associated with surface-corroded iron fragments. This decrease was linked to the interaction of these phases with metabolically active soil microorganisms. Following the addition of a carbon and energy source (potato) to PBR-contaminated soil, the abiotic reaction of Fe⁰ oxidation to Fe²⁺ significantly accelerated due to microbial synthesis of organic acids and protons (H⁺) and iron mobilization by microbial activity. This markedly affected the soft magnetic material (fine pedogenic magnetite and iron core of PBR fragments) as well as highly coercive phases (oxidized coating of iron fragments and lithogenic hematite). Phytotoxic effects were evaluated by assessing seed germination, seedling, and root growth in representative species planted during the period of elevated soluble iron concentrations. Increased iron accumulation in stressed seedlings was a key indicator of PBR toxicity. These laboratory-simulation results improve our understanding of the potential environmental transformation of war-related iron residues and their implications for soil sustainability, which require validation under field conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13588839/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149001403","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":"Linking geochronology and source apportionment of sediments to understand land-lake transfers in the Lake Victoria Basin.","authors":"M J Watts, O S Humphrey, L Tuffield, C Gowing, A L Marriott, C O Ongore, J Isaboke, O Osano, William H Blake, C M Aura","doi":"10.1007/s10653-026-03451-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10653-026-03451-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Soil erosion is an increasing environmental problem in the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB), resulting in the transfer of sediment, nutrients and contaminants from terrestrial landscapes to aquatic ecosystems. These land-to-lake transfers have implications for soil fertility, water quality, ecosystem functioning and food security, yet the temporal evolution and catchment origins of sediment inputs remain poorly understood. This study combines Pb-210 geochronology, sediment geochemistry and geochemical source apportionment to reconstruct historical sediment delivery to the Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria from the Nyando, Sondu-Miriu, Awach, Luanda and Kisat river catchments. Sediment-core chronologies demonstrate a substantial acceleration in sediment accumulation from the 1960s, with the most rapid increases occurring after 2000. Sedimentation rates increased approximately seven-fold in the Nyando catchment and three-fold in the Sondu-Miriu catchment between the 1960s and 2021. Temporal changes in sediment geochemistry, including phosphorus, sulphur, calcium and organic matter, indicate increasing influence of agricultural expansion, forest clearance and urban development. Using a Frequentist sediment fingerprinting approach, historical sediment contributions were linked to specific sub-catchments, revealing that recent increases in sediment delivery were associated with shifts in sediment provenance driven by land-use change in key source areas. The integration of geochronology and source apportionment provides a multi-decadal reconstruction of land-lake connectivity and identifies priority locations for intervention. From an environmental geochemistry and health perspective, accelerated sediment transfer represents the mobilisation of nutrient-rich topsoil, organic carbon and associated contaminants into aquatic systems, with potential consequences for agricultural productivity, eutrophication, fisheries, water quality and human wellbeing. The approach offers a practical framework for targeting catchment restoration and improving ecosystem resilience across the Lake Victoria Basin and other rapidly changing tropical catchments.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"48 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13588860/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149001308","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}