[Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Mining Soils and Analysis of Influencing Factors].
Abstract
assessments identified Cd, Hg, and Pb as the most severe pollutants, with 42%, 26.76%, and 19.1% of the samples classified as heavily to extremely polluted. Pollution was concentrated primarily in southern mining areas, with levels decreasing gradually from the southwest to the northeast. Health risk assessments (HRA) revealed that Cd, Hg, Pb, and As posed disproportionately higher risks to children compared to adults, with both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks significantly elevated. MCSs estimated the probability of children exceeding the carcinogenic risk threshold 1E-4 at 83.66%, while for adult women and men, the probabilities were 37.74% and 31.76%, respectively. RDA highlighted economic activities and soil physicochemical properties (e.g., pH, clay content, and cation exchange capacity) as the primary drivers of heavy metal distribution. These findings provide crucial quantitative evidence on the spatial distribution and health risks of heavy metal pollution in mining areas and support the development of targeted pollution control and health protection strategies.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Heavy metals in environment
Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity
Water Quality and Pollution Assessment
Publication details
- Journal / source
- PubMed
- Volume
- 47
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 1316–1328
- Publication date
- 8 February 2026
- Language
- ZH