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Huang CC, Cai LM, Xu YH, Jie L, Hu GC, Chen LG, Wang HZ, Xu XB, Mei JX. A comprehensive approach to quantify the source identification and human health risk assessment of toxic elements in park dust. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2023; 45:5813-5827. [PMID: 37148428 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-023-01588-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
In this research, enrichment factor (EF) and pollution load index were utilized to explore the contamination characteristics of toxic elements (TEs) in park dust. The results exhibited that park dust in the study area was mainly moderately polluted, and the EF values of dust Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu and Sb were all > 1. The concentrations of Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb increased with the decrease of dust particle size. The investigation results of chemical speciation and bioavailability of TEs showed that Zn had the highest bioavailability. Three sources of TEs were determined by positive matrix factorization model, Pearson correlation analysis and geostatistical analysis, comprising factor 1 mixed sources of industrial and transportation activities (46.62%), factor 2 natural source (25.56%) and factor 3 mixed source of agricultural activities and the aging of park infrastructures (27.82%). Potential ecological risk (PER) and human health risk (HHR) models based on source apportionment were exploited to estimate PER and HHR of TEs from different sources. The mean PER value of TEs in the park dust was 114, indicating that ecological risk in the study area was relatively high. Factor 1 contributed the most to PER, and the pollution of Cd was the most serious. There were no significant carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks for children and adults in the study area. And factor 3 was the biggest source of non-carcinogenic risk, and As, Cr and Pb were the chief contributor to non-carcinogenic risk. The primary source of carcinogenic risk was factor 2, and Cr was the cardinal cancer risk element.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Chen Huang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry and Environment, Yangtze University, Wuhan, 430100, China
- College of Resources and Environment, Yangtze University, Wuhan, 430100, China
| | - Li-Mei Cai
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry and Environment, Yangtze University, Wuhan, 430100, China.
- College of Resources and Environment, Yangtze University, Wuhan, 430100, China.
- Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
| | - Yao-Hui Xu
- College of Resources and Environment, Yangtze University, Wuhan, 430100, China
| | - Luo Jie
- College of Resources and Environment, Yangtze University, Wuhan, 430100, China
| | - Guo-Cheng Hu
- Ministry of Ecology and Environment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Guangzhou, 510535, China
| | - Lai-Guo Chen
- Ministry of Ecology and Environment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Guangzhou, 510535, China.
| | - Han-Zhi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Xu-Bang Xu
- College of Resources and Environment, Yangtze University, Wuhan, 430100, China
| | - Jing-Xian Mei
- College of Resources and Environment, Yangtze University, Wuhan, 430100, China
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2
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Zanetta-Colombo NC, Fleming ZL, Gayo EM, Manzano CA, Panagi M, Valdés J, Siegmund A. Impact of mining on the metal content of dust in indigenous villages of northern Chile. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 169:107490. [PMID: 36116364 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Indigenous communities from northern Chile have historically been exposed to the impacts of massive copper industrial activities conducted in the region. Some of the communities belonging to the Alto El Loa Indigenous Development Area are located less than 10 km from the "Talabre'' tailings dam, which contains residues from copper production and other metals that can be toxic to human health (e.g., As, Sb, Cd, Mo, Pb). Given the increasing demand of copper production to achieve net-zero emission scenarios and concomitant expansions of the tailings, the exposure to toxic metals is a latent risk to local communities. Despite the impact that copper production could generate on ancestral communities from northern Chile, studies and monitoring are limited and the results are often not made accessible for local communities. Here, we evaluate such risks by characterizing metal concentrations in dust collected from roofs and windows of houses from the Alto El Loa area. Our results showed that As, Sb, Cd, Cu, Mo, Ag, S, and Pb concentrations in these matrices can be connected to local copper mining activities. Additionally, air transport models indicate that high concentrations of toxic elements (As, Sb, and Cd) can be explained by the atmospheric transport of particles from the tailings in a NE direction up to 50 km away. Pollution indices and Health Risk Assessment suggested a highly contaminated region with a health risk for its inhabitants. Our analysis on a local scale seeks to make visible the case of northern Chile as a critical territory where actions should be taken to mitigate the effects of mining in the face of this new scenario of international demand for the raw materials necessary for the transition to a net-zero carbon global society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolás C Zanetta-Colombo
- Heidelberg Center for the Environment (HCE), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Geography - Research Group for Earth Observation (rgeo), Heidelberg University of Education, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Geography, SAI, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Zoë L Fleming
- Envirohealth Dynamics Lab, C+ Research Center in Technologies for Society, School of Engineering, Universidad Del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile; Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR)2, Chile
| | - Eugenia M Gayo
- Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR)2, Chile; ANID - Millennium Science Initiative Program- Nucleo Milenio UPWELL, Chile
| | - Carlos A Manzano
- Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
| | - Marios Panagi
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Jorge Valdés
- Laboratorio de Sedimentología y Paleoambientes (LASPAL), Instituto de Ciencias Naturales Alexander von Humboldt, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y de Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Alexander Siegmund
- Heidelberg Center for the Environment (HCE), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Geography - Research Group for Earth Observation (rgeo), Heidelberg University of Education, Heidelberg, Germany
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3
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Longman J, Ersek V, Veres D. High variability between regional histories of long-term atmospheric Pb pollution. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20890. [PMID: 33262534 PMCID: PMC7708465 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77773-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The advent of metal processing was one of the key technological evolutions presaging the development of modern society. However, the interplay between metal use and the long-term changes it induced in the development and functioning of past societies remains unclear. We present a compilation of global records of anthropogenic atmospheric lead (Pb) spanning the last 4000 years, an effective indirect proxy for reliably assessing Pb emissions directly linked to human activities. Separating this global Pb pollution signal into regionally representative clusters allows identification of regional differences in pollution output that reflect technological innovations, market demands, or demise of various human cultures for last 4000 years. Our European reconstruction traces well periods of intensive metal production such as the Roman and Medieval periods, in contrast to clusters from the Americas, which show low levels of atmospheric Pb until the Industrial Revolution. Further investigation of the European synthesis results displays clear regional variation in the timing and extent of past development of polluting activities. This indicates the challenges of using individual reconstructions to infer regional or global development in Pb output and related pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Longman
- Marine Isotope Geochemistry, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.
- School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK.
| | - Vasile Ersek
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK
| | - Daniel Veres
- Institute of Speleology, Romanian Academy, Clinicilor 5, 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
- EDYTEM, Université Savoie Mont-Blanc, CNRS, Le Bourget du Lac, France.
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4
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Loisel J, Bunsen M. Abrupt Fen-Bog Transition Across Southern Patagonia: Timing, Causes, and Impacts on Carbon Sequestration. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Tighe M, Rogan G, Wilson SC, Grave P, Kealhofer L, Yukongdi P. The potential for portable X-ray fluorescence determination of soil copper at ancient metallurgy sites, and considerations beyond measurements of total concentrations. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2018; 206:373-382. [PMID: 29101879 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.10.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Revised: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Copper (Cu) at ancient metallurgy sites represents the earliest instance of anthropogenically generated metal pollution. Such sites are spread across a wide range of environments from Eurasia to South America, and provide a unique opportunity to investigate the past and present extent and impact of metalworking contamination. Establishing the concentration and extent of soil Cu at archaeometallurgy sites can enhance archaeological interpretations of site use but can also, more fundamentally, provide an initial indication of contamination risk from such sites. Systematic evaluations of total soil Cu concentrations at ancient metalworking sites have not been conducted, due in part to the limitations of conventional laboratory-based protocols. In this paper, we first review what is known about Cu soil concentrations at ancient metallurgy sites. We then assess the benefits and challenges of portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF) as an alternative, rapid technique for the assessment of background and contaminant levels of Cu in soils. We conclude that pXRF is an effective tool for identifying potential contamination. Finally, we provide an overview of some major considerations beyond total Cu concentrations, such as bioavailability assessments, that will need to be considered at such sites to move toward a complete assessment of environmental and human risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Tighe
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia.
| | - G Rogan
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - S C Wilson
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - P Grave
- Archaeomaterials Science Hub, Archaeology & Palaeoanthropology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - L Kealhofer
- Anthropology and Environmental Studies and Sciences, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA
| | - P Yukongdi
- Fine Arts Department of Thailand, Bangkok, Thailand
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Li C, Le Roux G, Sonke J, van Beek P, Souhaut M, Van der Putten N, De Vleeschouwer F. Recent 210Pb, 137Cs and 241Am accumulation in an ombrotrophic peatland from Amsterdam Island (Southern Indian Ocean). JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2017; 175-176:164-169. [PMID: 28554139 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2017.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Revised: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Over the past 50 years, 210Pb, 137Cs and 241Am have been abundantly used in reconstructing recent sediment and peat chronologies. The study of global aerosol-climate interaction is also partially depending on our understanding of 222Rn-210Pb cycling, as radionuclides are useful aerosol tracers. However, in comparison with the Northern Hemisphere, few data are available for these radionuclides in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in the South Indian Ocean. A peat core was collected in an ombrotrophic peatland from the remote Amsterdam Island (AMS) and was analyzed for 210Pb, 137Cs and 241Am radionuclides using an underground ultra-low background gamma spectrometer. The 210Pb Constant Rate of Supply (CRS) model of peat accumulations is validated by peaks of artificial radionuclides (137Cs and 241Am) that are related to nuclear weapon tests. We compared the AMS 210Pb data with an updated 210Pb deposition database. The 210Pb flux of 98 ± 6 Bq·m-2·y-1 derived from the AMS core agrees with data from Madagascar and South Africa. The elevated flux observed at such a remote location may result from the enhanced 222Rn activity and frequent rainfall in AMS. This enhanced 222Rn activity itself may be explained by continental air masses passing over southern Africa and/or Madagascar. The 210Pb flux at AMS is higher than those derived from cores collected in coastal areas in Argentina and Chile, which are areas dominated by marine westerly winds with low 222Rn activities. We report a 137Cs inventory at AMS of 144 ± 13 Bq·m-2 (corrected to 1969). Our data thus contribute to the under-represented data coverage in the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuxian Li
- EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Tolosan, France.
| | - Gaël Le Roux
- EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Tolosan, France
| | - Jeroen Sonke
- Geoscience, Environment, Toulouse, Midi- Pyrénées Observatory, Toulouse, France
| | - Pieter van Beek
- LEGOS (CNRS/CNES/IRD/UPS), Midi- Pyrénées Observatory, Toulouse, France
| | - Marc Souhaut
- LEGOS (CNRS/CNES/IRD/UPS), Midi- Pyrénées Observatory, Toulouse, France
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Eichler A, Gramlich G, Kellerhals T, Tobler L, Rehren T, Schwikowski M. Ice-core evidence of earliest extensive copper metallurgy in the Andes 2700 years ago. Sci Rep 2017; 7:41855. [PMID: 28139760 PMCID: PMC5282569 DOI: 10.1038/srep41855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2016] [Accepted: 01/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The importance of metallurgy for social and economic development is indisputable. Although copper (Cu) was essential for the wealth of pre- and post-colonial societies in the Andes, the onset of extensive Cu metallurgy in South America is still debated. Comprehensive archaeological findings point to first sophisticated Cu metallurgy during the Moche culture ~200-800 AD, whereas peat-bog records from southern South America suggest earliest pollution potentially from Cu smelting as far back as ~2000 BC. Here we present a 6500-years Cu emission history for the Andean Altiplano, based on ice-core records from Illimani glacier in Bolivia, providing the first complete history of large-scale Cu smelting activities in South America. We find earliest anthropogenic Cu pollution during the Early Horizon period ~700-50 BC, and attribute the onset of intensified Cu smelting in South America to the activities of the central Andean Chiripa and Chavin cultures ~2700 years ago. This study provides for the first time substantial evidence for extensive Cu metallurgy already during these early cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Eichler
- Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.,Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - G Gramlich
- Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.,Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.,Department for Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - T Kellerhals
- Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.,Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - L Tobler
- Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.,Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Th Rehren
- UCL Institute of Archaeology, 31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, UK.,College for Humanities and Social Sciences, HBKU Doha, Qatar
| | - M Schwikowski
- Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.,Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.,Department for Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
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Marx SK, Rashid S, Stromsoe N. Global-scale patterns in anthropogenic Pb contamination reconstructed from natural archives. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2016; 213:283-298. [PMID: 26924757 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2015] [Revised: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
During the past two centuries metal loads in the Earth's atmosphere and ecosystems have increased significantly over pre-industrial levels. This has been associated with deleterious effects to ecosystem processes and human health. The magnitude of this toxic metal burden, as well as the spatial and temporal patterns of metal enrichment, is recorded in sedimentary archives across the globe. This paper presents a compilation of selected Pb contamination records from lakes (n = 10), peat mires (n = 10) and ice fields (n = 7) from Europe, North and South America, Asia, Australia and the Northern and Southern Hemisphere polar regions. These records quantify changes in Pb enrichment in remote from source environments. The presence of anthropogenic Pb in the environment has a long history, extending as far back as the early to mid-Holocene in North America, Europe and East Asia. However, results show that Pb contamination in the Earth's environment became globally ubiquitous at the beginning of the Second Industrial Revolution (c.1850-1890 CE), after which the magnitude of Pb contamination increased significantly. This date therefore serves as an effective global marker for the onset of the Anthropocene. Current global average Pb enrichment rates are between 6 and 35 times background, however Pb contamination loads are spatially variable. For example, they are >100 times background in Europe and North America and 5-15 times background in Antarctica. Despite a recent decline in Pb loads in some regions, most notably Europe and North America, anthropogenic Pb remains highly enriched and universally present in global ecosystems, while concentrations are increasing in some regions (Australia, Asia and parts of South America and Antarctica). There is, however, a paucity of Pb enrichment records outside of Europe, which limits assessments of global contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel K Marx
- GeoQuEST Research Centre, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia.
| | - Shaqer Rashid
- GeoQuEST Research Centre, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia
| | - Nicola Stromsoe
- Climate Research Group, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
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Widespread pollution of the South American atmosphere predates the industrial revolution by 240 y. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:2349-54. [PMID: 25675506 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1421119112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the Southern Hemisphere, evidence for preindustrial atmospheric pollution is restricted to a few geological archives of low temporal resolution that record trace element deposition originating from past mining and metallurgical operations in South America. Therefore, the timing and the spatial impact of these activities on the past atmosphere remain poorly constrained. Here we present an annually resolved ice core record (A.D. 793-1989) from the high-altitude drilling site of Quelccaya (Peru) that archives preindustrial and industrial variations in trace elements. During the precolonial period (i.e., pre-A.D. 1532), the deposition of trace elements was mainly dominated by the fallout of aeolian dust and of ash from occasional volcanic eruptions, indicating that metallurgic production during the Inca Empire (A.D. 1438-1532) had a negligible impact on the South American atmosphere. In contrast, a widespread anthropogenic signal is evident after around A.D. 1540, which corresponds with the beginning of colonial mining and metallurgy in Peru and Bolivia, ∼240 y before the Industrial Revolution. This shift was due to a major technological transition for silver extraction in South America (A.D. 1572), from lead-based smelting to mercury amalgamation, which precipitated a massive increase in mining activities. However, deposition of toxic trace metals during the Colonial era was still several factors lower than 20th century pollution that was unprecedented over the entirety of human history.
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