Source and hazard identification of heavy metals in soils of Changsha based on
TIN model and direct exposure method
CHEN Jian-qun
1
, WANG Zhen-xing
2
, WU Xie
3
, ZHU Jian-jun
1,2
, ZHOU Wen-bin
1
1. School of Geosciences and Info-physics, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China;
2. School of Metallurgical Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China;
3. Jiangxi Provincial Water Conservancy Planning and Designing Institute, Nanchang 330029, China
Received 26 October 2010; accepted 14 January 2011
Abstract: A total of 153 soil samples were collected from Changsha City, China, to analyze the contents of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn,
Ni, Pb and Zn. A combination of sampling data, multivariate statistical method, geostatistical analysis, direct exposure method and
triangulated irregular network (TIN) model was successfully employed to discriminate sources, simulate spatial distributions and
evaluate children’s health risks of heavy metals in soils. The results show that not all sites in Changsha city may be suitable for living
without remediation. About 9.0% of the study area provided a hazard index (HI)>1.0, and 1.9% had an HI>2.0. Most high HIs were
located in the southern and western areas. The element of arsenic and the pathway of soil ingestion were the largest contribution to
potential health risks for children. This study indicates that we should attach great importance to the direct soil heavy metals
exposure for children’s health.
Key words: soil; heavy metal; geostatistics; health risk; triangulated irregular network (TIN) model; geographic information system
(GIS)
1 Introduction
China is the world’s most populous country and its
economy is growing at the fastest rate of any major
nation. However, its environmental problems are among
the most severe of any major country, and are mostly
getting worse[1]. In recent years, heavy metal (HM)
pollutions in soil have become an important
environmental issue in China because of their
non-biodegradable nature and long biological half-live
for elimination from the body[2]. Excessive
accumulation of HMs in soils may pose serious health
risks to humans and may exert adverse impacts on the
ecosystem itself[3−4].
Heavy metal pollutants in soils can enter the human
body and pose heath risks through two pathways: 1)
soil-food-human body (indirect exposure); and 2)
soil-human body (direct exposure). The major public
health concern of soil HM exposure for the general
population is accumulation over a lifetime and possible
renal dysfunction and bone disease through food chain
ingestion [5]. Therefore, the indirect soil exposure,
including HMs through rice, wheat, vegetable, fruit and
other foods, has been given more attention worldwide
than the direct soil exposure[6−9]. However, recent
studies have shown that the direct soil exposure,
including soil ingestion, dermal adsorption and
inhalation exposure, is also an important pathway by
humans intake HMs and is particularly important for
children[10]. Children’s behavior can expose them to
more toxic effects of soil HMs. For example, young
children prefer to play close to the ground and come into
contact with polluted soil outdoors and with
contaminated dust on surfaces and carpets indoors.
Moreover, the developing structure and function of
organs for children may result in higher inhalation rates
per unit of body mass than adults[11]. Research has
shown that long-term health and development
issues can arise from intrauterine and early
childhood exposures to HMs, which are often
undetectable early on and manifest later in life[12−13].
Estimating the source and spatial distribution of
pollutants is crucial to quantifying the level of
environmental risks[14]. However, due to the high costs
and time constraints, the accuracy of the direct analysis
Foundation item: Project (50925417) supported by the National Funds for Distinguished Young Scientists, China; Project (50830301) supported by the Key
Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China
Corresponding author: ZHU Jian-jun; Tel: +86-731-88877024; E-mail: zjj@csu.edu.cn
DOI: 10.1016/S1003-6326(11)60761-9