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Spatial enrichment assessment, source identification and health risks of potentially toxic elements in surface sediments, Central Asian countries

  • Sediments, Sec 1 • Sediment Quality and Impact Assessment • Research Article
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Abstract

Purpose

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs), particularly metallic elements, are some of the most dangerous pollutants found in surface sediments due to their toxicity and persistence. Given the contamination-related issues for sediments in Central Asian countries (CACs), a combination of risk assessment and source apportionment was used in characterizing the pollution sources and source-specific risks of metallic elements in the sediments of CACs.

Materials and methods

Surface sediment samples collected from 254 sites across the CACs were analysed for PTEs. The calculation of enrichment factor (EF) and the assessments of health risks were devoted to identifying contamination and risk characteristics, including geomorphic- and watershed-driven variability. Multivariate statistical analyses were applied to quantitatively identify contamination sources.

Results and discussion

The results suggested that Cr, Cu and Ni were minimally enriched, Pb was moderately enriched, and Zn was significantly enriched. Interestingly, the EF of Pb was considerably higher in the northwest plain of the CAC region, but that of Zn was distributed across the study area. Source apportionment indicated that natural and anthropogenic sources accounted for 40.42% and 59.58% of the total contamination, respectively. Overall, the non-carcinogenic risks caused by PTEs were acceptable, but Cr and Pb exhibited higher non-carcinogenic effects in the Caspian Sea-Ural River and Ishim River regions. Moreover, fuel combustion, atmospheric deposition and industrial activities made higher contributions than other sources to the ecological risk of PTEs in the CACs.

Conclusions

This study will advance our knowledge of spatial differences, contamination risks and source identification for PTEs in sediments and provide a scientific basis for policy makers to design environmental strategies in the CACs.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia for help.

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. U2003202) and the Strategic Priority Research Program of CAS, Pan-Third Pole Environment Study for a Green Silk Road (Nos. XDA2006030101; 2017ZYKG01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hebei Province Key Laboratory of Sustained Utilization and Development of Water Resources, Institute of Paleontology, Hebei GEO University, Shijiazhuang, 050031, China

    Jingzhong Wang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Jingzhong Wang, Jinglu Wu, Shuie Zhan, Miao Jin, Jianchao Zhou, Beibei Shen & Haiao Zeng

  3. Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China

    Jinglu Wu

  4. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Shuie Zhan

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  1. Jingzhong Wang
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Correspondence to Jinglu Wu.

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Wang, J., Wu, J., Zhan, S. et al. Spatial enrichment assessment, source identification and health risks of potentially toxic elements in surface sediments, Central Asian countries. J Soils Sediments 21, 3906–3916 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-021-03061-3

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