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Risk assessment of heavy metals in air, water, vegetables, grains, and related soils irrigated with biogas slurry in Taihu Basin, China

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Abstract

Metal contamination in farmlands irrigated with biogas slurry is of great concern because of its potential health risks to local inhabitants. Health risks that depend heavily on multi-pathway exposure to heavy metals (e.g., Pb, Cd, Cr, Zn, Cu, and As) in water, soil, air, and local food were studied through field sampling in Taihu Basin, China. Results show that Zn, Pb, and Cd in soils irrigated with biogas slurry exceed the soil quality standard values, and grown vegetables and grains contaminated with Pb and Cd exceed the permissible limits. Food ingestion plays an important role in the total average daily dose of metals, especially for Cu and Zn, which account for 94 and 91 %, respectively. Non-carcinogenic risks posed to adults mainly result from Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, and As through food ingestion and from Cr through soil ingestion. The highest non-carcinogenic risk was determined from food ingestion, followed by soil ingestion, air inhalation, air ingestion, and dermal contact with air. Carcinogenic risks to adults are 6.68 to 7.00 times higher than the safe level and can be attributed to Cr, As, and Cd pollution. The estimated risks mainly result from As and Cd through food ingestion and from Cr through soil ingestion. Both cancer and non-cancer risks through dermal contact can be ignored. Therefore, attention should be paid to health risks imposed by adults’ multi-pathway exposure to heavy metals in vegetables, grains, and related soils irrigated with biogas slurry in Taihu Basin. Effective measures should be implemented to control heavy metal pollution and protect potentially exposed adults.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support for this study was provided by Jiangsu province Environmental Protection Key Project (No.2013010) and the Program for “333” Excellent Talents in Jiangsu Province (BRA2014375), the National Water Pollution Control and Management Technology Major Projects (Grant No. 2012ZX07506-008).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Environmental Science, 241 Fenghuang West Street, Nanjing, 210036, China

    Bo Bian, Ling Jun Zhou, Lin Lv & Ya Min Fan

  2. Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Environment Science Co., Ltd., 241 Fenghuang West Street, Nanjing, 210036, China

    Bo Bian

  3. Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, 241 Fenghuang West Street, Nanjing, 210036, China

    Bo Bian, Ling Jun Zhou & Ya Min Fan

  4. School of Earth Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China

    Lei Li & Lin Lv

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  1. Bo Bian
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Correspondence to Bo Bian.

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Bian, B., Zhou, L.J., Li, L. et al. Risk assessment of heavy metals in air, water, vegetables, grains, and related soils irrigated with biogas slurry in Taihu Basin, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 7794–7807 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4292-2

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