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Heavy metal contamination in soils and food crops around Dabaoshan mine in Guangdong, China: implication for human health

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Abstract

This study was designed to investigate heavy metal (Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd) contamination levels of soils, vegetables, and rice grown in the vicinity of the Dabaoshan mine, south China. The concentration of Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd in paddy soil exceeded the maximum allowable concentrations for Chinese agricultural soil. The heavy metal concentrations (mg kg−1, dry weight basis) in vegetables ranged from 5.0 to 14.3 for Cu, 34.7 to 170 for Zn, 0.90 to 2.23 for Pb, and 0.45 to 4.1 for Cd. The concentrations of Pb and Cd in rice grain exceeded the maximum permissible limits in China. Dietary intake of Pb and Cd through the consumption of rice and certain vegetable exceeded the recommended dietary allowance levels. The status of heavy metal concentrations of food crops grown in the vicinity of Dabaoshan mine and their implications for human health should be further investigated.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance of Prof. Murray B. McBride (Cornell University) in revising the manuscript. This study was supported by the Core Project of National High-tech R&D Program of China (863 Project No: 2007AA061001), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 40871221 and 30670393), the Science and Technology Planning of Guangdong Province (No. 2006A36703004), and the Talent Foundation of South China Botanical Garden.

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  1. Institute of Ecology, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510560, China

    P. Zhuang, B. Zou, N. Y. Li & Z. A. Li

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  1. P. Zhuang
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Correspondence to Z. A. Li.

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Zhuang, P., Zou, B., Li, N.Y. et al. Heavy metal contamination in soils and food crops around Dabaoshan mine in Guangdong, China: implication for human health. Environ Geochem Health 31, 707–715 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-009-9248-3

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