Abstract
The Weining Plain is an important area for agricultural production in northwest China. It is, therefore, imperative that stakeholders understand the status of topsoil heavy metal pollution, the sources of the metals, and the associated ecological risks. In this study, 71 topsoil (0–20 cm) samples were collected from the Weining Plain and analyzed for Cd, Cr, Zn, Pb, Cu, and Ni. The results showed that the average concentrations of Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cr seriously exceeded the background values for Ningxia in the study area. Spatial analysis revealed that the six heavy metals all had elevated levels, especially near industrial zones. Based on the absolute principal component scores-multiple linear regression model, the sources of heavy metals in topsoil were divided into anthropogenic, natural, and agricultural sources. Anthropogenic sources of pollution were the primary source of most of the heavy metals in the topsoil. The results of the heavy metal pollution index and the Hakanson potential ecological risk index showed that the topsoil quality is slightly polluted by the heavy metals except Ni. The concentrations of heavy metals in the study area as a whole represented a medium potential ecological risk, with Cd posing highest potential for ecological risk.
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Acknowledgements
Song He, Fengmei Su, Lei Zhang, Yuanhang Wang, Qixiao Zhang, and Xiaofei Ren are acknowledged for their participation in the field investigation and sample collection. Xiaodong He is acknowledged for his participation in the sample analysis. We are grateful for the support granted by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42072286 and 41761144059), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of CHD (300102299301 and 300102291507), the Fok Ying Tong Education Foundation (161098), and the Ten Thousand Talents Program (W03070125). All authors are thankful to the useful and constructive comments from the editors and reviewers.
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Yanlin Li developed the suitable methodology, analyzed the data, and was involved with the writing of the manuscript. Peiyue Li was involved in the conceptualization, provided supervision in the presented work, and involved in the writing and editing of the manuscript. Leining Liu helped in methodology selection and participated in editing of the earlier versions of the manuscript.
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Li, Y., Li, P. & Liu, L. Source Identification and Potential Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Topsoil of the Weining Plain (Northwest China). Expo Health 14, 281–294 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12403-021-00438-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12403-021-00438-0