Heavy metals contamination in shallow groundwater of a coal-mining district and a probabilistic assessment of its human health risk

Geochemical Behaviours and Formation Mechanisms for Elevated Fluoride in the Drinking Groundwater in Sulin Coal-Mining District, Northern Anhui Province, China

“…The thickness of the coal exceeds 1300 m, including three to 12 minable and locally minable coal seams. The area contained 19 coal mines with a total production capacity of 30.00 million t/y [33,34]. After 69 years of mining, a large number of collapsed ponds and coal gangue piles have accumulated on the land surface [35].…”

“…Aside from the mining area, most of the land in this area is dedicated to agriculture where wheat and corn are the primary crops. The study area is lacking in surface water, and groundwater is the main source of water for domestic and industrial purposes [33].…”

“…contains four aquifers; these are, from top to bottom, the first, second, third, and fourth aquifers. The second and third aquifers (80-130 m in depth, and a mean depth of 110 m) are widely used as the drinking water supply due to their abundant and high-quality groundwater [33]. The main components of the waterbearing medium are gravel and sand.…”

Analysis of Heavy Metal Sources and Health Risk Assessment of Typical Coal Mine Collapsed Lakes in Huaibei Coalfield, Anhui Province, China

“…Heavy metals affected human health by causing cancer and non-cancer diseases in human organs [18][19]. Routes entering the human body were dermal absorption, direct intake and inhalation [20][21].…”

“…It can be seen from the above that Cr is the main carcinogenic risk element in lake water, which is consistent with the main carcinogenic elements of shallow groundwater in the study area. Therefore, it is speculated that the lake water has a recharge relationship with shallow groundwater [18]. Finally, the maximum acceptable risk (1E-06) recommended by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency was selected as the reference standard [48].…”