There are numerous coal mines around the Nansi Lake Provincial Nature Reserve, and the mineral resources are extremely rich. Therefore, it is necessary to effectively assess the impact of mining activities on the topsoil. Based on a focused investigation of the contamination status and ecological risks of the Nansi Lake Nature Reserve assisted by GIS, principal component analysis was combined with positive matrix factorization to quantitatively identify the sources and contributions of heavy metal(loid)s in the topsoil before conducting uncertainty analysis. The results showed that coal mining caused higher Cu, Zn, and As contamination levels, while Hg and Cd had higher eco-toxicity and biological sensitivity. Meanwhile, principal component analysis (PCA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) modeling displayed that Hg (59.2%) was primarily generated by industrial sources (fossil fuel combustion and mercury-containing wastewater); As (70.2%), Ni (65.6%), Cr (63.5%), Pb (61.3%), Cu (60.3%), and Zn (55.8%) were generated mainly from coal mining and processing, coal fossil fuel combustion, and coal gangue dumps; Cd (79.8%) came mainly from agricultural sources. Through uncertainty analysis, the contribution of contamination sources to the heavy metal(loid)s in the topsoil, as estimated by the PMF model, was shown to be quite different. Moreover, heavy metal(loid)s with lower contributions had errors in source identification and factor quantification. This study innovatively warned management to control the hazards of heavy metal(loid)s caused by mining engineering to protect the environment of the Nansi Lake Nature Reserve and revealed the potential harmful pathways of heavy metal(loid)s.
Chifeng is a concentrated mining area for non-ferrous metal minerals, as well as a key prevention and control area for heavy-duty enterprises. This situation necessitates an effective ecological and human health risk assessment of heavy metal(loid)s driven by the wide distribution of metal ore processing, mining, and smelting factories in Hexigten Banner and Bairin Left Banner. We conducted surveys to assess the levels of heavy metal(loid)s (Cr, As, Pb, Cd, and Hg) in the topsoil and groundwater of the areas. The results indicated that the concentrations of As, Cd, and Pb in partial soil samples exceeded the environmental quality standards of Grade II. Based on contamination assessments, such as geoaccumulation indices and pollution indices, we inferred that Cd, Pb, and As were primary pollutants in topsoil. Potential ecological risks when considered as part of the average risk indices (RI) are up to 1626.40 and 2818.76, respectively, in the two areas. Comparative analysis revealed that Cd posed a very high potential ecological risk, followed by As. Moreover, the evaluation showed that the three exposure pathways of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk followed a descending order: inhalation > ingestion > dermal contact, except for Pb. Arsenic in topsoil posed a potential non-carcinogenic risk to human health, while there were no adverse effects of As in groundwater. In addition, the average total carcinogenic risk for As in the two areas, as well as the risk of Pb in the topsoil of Bairin Left Banner and all the five heavy metal(loid)s in groundwater, exceeded human tolerance. Pb–Zn mines caused higher human health risks. In addition, the tandem contamination of heavy metal(loid)s in soil and groundwater was not obvious. This research study provides a basis for pollution remediation to control heavy industry-induced ecological and health risks of heavy metal(loid)s.
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