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Source identification and risk assessment of heavy metal contaminations in urban soils of Changsha, a mine-impacted city in Southern China

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Abstract

The urban soils suffered seriously from heavy metal pollutions with rapid industrialization and urbanization in China. In this study, 54 urban soil samples were collected from Changsha, a mine-impacted city located in Southern China. The concentrations of heavy metals (As, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were determined by ICP-MS. The pollution sources of heavy metals were discriminated and identified by the combination of multivariate statistical and geostatistical methods. Four main sources were identified according to the results of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and spatial distribution patterns. Co and Mn were primarily derived from soil parent material. Cu, Pb, and Zn with significant positive relationships were associated with mining activities and traffic emissions. Cd and Ni might be affected by commercial activities and industrial discharges. As isolated into a single group was considered to have correlation with coal combustion and waste incineration. Risk assessment of heavy metals in urban soils indicated an overall moderate potential ecological risk in the urban region of Changsha.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest of China (No. 201503108) and National Science and Technology Major Project of China—Water Pollution Control and Treatment (No. 2013ZX07504-001).

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Correspondence to Lin Wang.

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Responsible editor: Zhihong Xu

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Ma, L., Yang, Z., Li, L. et al. Source identification and risk assessment of heavy metal contaminations in urban soils of Changsha, a mine-impacted city in Southern China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 17058–17066 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6890-z

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