Abstract
An eco-environmental geochemical investigation was carried out in and around the Dexing mining area to determine the concentrations of heavy metals in the surface water, sediments, soils and plants. The main objective of this study is to assess the environmental situation and evaluate the transferring of heavy metals from mining activities into the food chain. Some samples of water, sediment, topsoil and plant were collected along the Lean River in the Dexing mining area. The total concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, and As were determined by AAS, and Hg was analyzed by cold-vapor AAS. Some indices such as ‘contamination degree’, ‘geoaccumulation index’, and ‘biological absorption coefficient’ were used to assess eco-environmental quality. The investigation indicated a highly localized distribution pattern closely associated with the two pollution sources along the Le' an, River bank: one is strong acidity and a large amount of Cu in the drainage from the Dexing Cu mining area; and the other is the high concentrations of Pb and Zn in the effluents released from many smelters and mining, processing and extracting activities in the riparian zone. Results from the investigated localities indicated, at least in part, that some problems associated with environmental quality deterioration should be solved in the future.
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This study is granted by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation under the program of “Environmental Geochemical Principles and Techniques for Assessing Disturbed Soil by Mining Activity” (the thirtieth batch), and China Land and Resources Ministry Special Project “Regional Geochemical Baseline and Environmental Assessment of Great Mining Area” (No. 30302408-01).
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Yanguo, T., Shijun, N., Pengcheng, J. et al. Eco-environmental geochemistry of heavy metal pollution in Dexing mining area. Chin. J. Geochem. 23, 349–358 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02871307
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02871307