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Characterization and assessment of contaminated soil and groundwater at an organic chemical plant site in Chongqing, Southwest China

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Abstract

Contamination from organic chemical plants can cause serious pollution of soil and groundwater ecosystems. To characterize soil contamination and to evaluate the health risk posed by groundwater at a typical organic chemical plant site in Chongqing, China, 91 soil samples and seven groundwater samples were collected. The concentrations of different contaminants and their three-dimensional distribution were determined based on the 3D-krige method. Groundwater chemistry risk index (Chem RI) and cancer risk were calculated based on TRIAD and RBCA models. The chemistry risk indices of groundwater points SW5, SW18, SW22, SW39, SW52, SW80, and SW82 were 0.4209, 0.9972, 0.9324, 0.9990, 0.9991, 1.0000, and 1.0000, respectively, indicating that the groundwater has poor environmental status. By contrast, the reference Yangtse River water sample showed no pollution with a Chem RI of 0.1301. Benzene and 1,2-dichloroethane were the main contaminants in the groundwater and were responsible for the elevated cancer risk. The cumulative health risk of groundwater points (except SW5 and SW18) were all higher than the acceptable baselines of 10−6, which indicates that the groundwater poses high cancer risk. Action is urgently required to control and remediate the risk for human health and groundwater ecosystems.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Youth Science and Technology Research Foundation of Shanxi, China (Grant No. 2015021166), the Young Scientists Fund of National Natural Science Foundation (Grant Nos. 41401236; 40901249), and the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program: 2013AA06A206).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Scientific Development in Fenhe River Valley, Taiyuan Normal University, Taiyuan, 030012, China

    Geng Liu & Junjie Niu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Anwai Dayangfang 8, Beijing, 100012, China

    Chao Zhang & Guanlin Guo

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  1. Geng Liu
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  2. Junjie Niu
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  3. Chao Zhang
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  4. Guanlin Guo
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Correspondence to Guanlin Guo.

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Liu, G., Niu, J., Zhang, C. et al. Characterization and assessment of contaminated soil and groundwater at an organic chemical plant site in Chongqing, Southwest China. Environ Geochem Health 38, 607–618 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-015-9746-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-015-9746-4

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