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Cadmium (Cd) distribution and contamination in Chinese paddy soils on national scale

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Abstract

Rice is a staple food by an increasing number of people in China. As more issues have arisen in China due to rice contaminated by cadmium (Cd), Cd contamination in arable soils has become a severe problem. In China, many studies have examined Cd contamination in arable soils on a national scale, but little studies have focused on the distribution of Cd in paddy fields. This study explored the spatial pattern of Cd in paddy soils in China, made a preliminary evaluation of the potential risk, and identified the most critically contaminated regions based on the domestic rough rice trade flow. The results showed that Cd concentrations in paddy soils in China ranged from 0.01 to 5.50 mg/kg, with a median value of 0.23 mg/kg. On average, the highest Cd concentrations were in Hunan (0.73 mg/kg), Guangxi (0.70 mg/kg), and Sichuan (0.46 mg/kg) provinces. Cd concentrations in paddy soils in central and western regions were higher than those in eastern regions, especially the southeastern coastal regions. Of the administrative regions, Cd standard exceedance rate was 33.2 %, and the heavy pollution rate was 8.6 %. Regarding to Cd of paddy soil, soil environmental quality was better in Northeast China Plain than in Yangtze River Basin and southeastern coastal region. Mining activities were the main anthropogenic pollution source of Cd in Chinese paddy soil. Based on rice trade, more of the Chinese population would be exposed to Cd through intake of rice produced in Hunan province. Certain regions that output rice, especially Hunan province, should be given priority in the management and control of Cd contamination in paddy soil.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant 2015CB953602).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Xinjie Kouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, China

    Xiaojuan Liu, Guangjin Tian & Lingqiang Kong

  2. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China

    Dong Jiang

  3. State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 South Beijing Road, Urumqi, Xinjiang, 830011, China

    Chi Zhang

Authors
  1. Xiaojuan Liu
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  2. Guangjin Tian
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  3. Dong Jiang
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  4. Chi Zhang
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  5. Lingqiang Kong
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Guangjin Tian.

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Communicated by: Zhihong Xu

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Liu, X., Tian, G., Jiang, D. et al. Cadmium (Cd) distribution and contamination in Chinese paddy soils on national scale. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 17941–17952 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6968-7

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