Abstract
Heavy metal concentrations (Al, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb) and the magnetic properties of soil and sediment samples in/around an electrolytic manganese metal (EMM) industrial estate in northern China were investigated. Potential enrichment of Mn, Zn, and Pb was found in/around the core area of the EMM industrial estate; however, the pollution load index (PLI) values did not indicate severely polluted levels. For adults, all hazard index (HI) values of noncarcinogenic risks in the soil samples were below the safe level of 1.00. For children, none of the HI values exceeded the safe level, except Mn (HI = 1.23) in one industrial estate sample. The particle size of magnetic materials was mostly in the range of stable single-domain, and coarser ferrimagnetic phases enhanced the magnetic parameters in the industrial estate soils. Highly positive correlations were found between magnetic parameters, heavy metal concentrations, and PLI values, demonstrating that the magnetic parameters are an efficient proxy for assessing heavy metal contamination. Enrichment of Mn, Zn, and Pb was mainly derived from the EMM industry. The data showed that the EMM industrial estate under cleaner production had limited adverse impacts on the adjacent environment from the perspective of heavy metal contamination.
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The data supporting the findings of this study are available in an online supplementary information file. Other data and software are available by request from corresponding authors.
Notes
Although the term “heavy metal” is not recommended by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, it is commonly used in the environmental science literature. Here, a comprehensive definition of the term “heavy metal” is given. Al is not a kind of “heavy metals”; however, for the sake of simplicity, this element, together with other elements, are later referred to as “heavy metals.”
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Acknowledgements
We thank Prof. Qingsong Liu from the Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, for constructive comments on this manuscript.
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This work was financially supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (2018YFC1801603), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21976079), and the Science, Technology, and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality (JCYJ20190809171201660).
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All authors contributed to the conception and design of the study. Data curation and the original draft preparation were performed by Jiawei Zhang. Investigation and sample collection were performed by Jiawei Zhang, Huanyu Tao, Hui Ge, Jianghong Shi, Mengtao Zhang, Zonglin Xu, and Ruijie Xiao. Statistical analysis and visualization were performed by Jiawei Zhang, Huanyu Tao, and Hui Ge. Review and editing before the submission of the final draft were performed by Hui Ge and Jianghong Shi. Supervision was performed by Jianghong Shi and Xiaoyan Li. All authors read and commented on previous versions of the manuscript.
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Zhang, J., Tao, H., Ge, H. et al. Assessment of heavy metal contamination of an electrolytic manganese metal industrial estate in northern China from an integrated chemical and magnetic investigation. Environ Geochem Health 45, 2963–2983 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-022-01389-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-022-01389-4