Accumulation, environmental risk characteristics and associated driving mechanisms of potential toxicity elements in roadside soils across China

Sci Total Environ. 2022 Aug 20:835:155342. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155342. Epub 2022 Apr 27.

Abstract

Roadside soils may be affected by potential toxicity elements (TPEs) from vehicles; however, pollution status, ecological and health risks of PTEs in roadside soils were rarely reported on national scale. In this study, a dataset of PTEs in roadside soils was compiled based on the literatures published in 2000-2021, and then pollution level, ecological and health risks of PTEs were evaluated using geochemical accumulation index (Igeo), potential ecological risk index (ER), and human risk assessment coupled with Monte Carlo simulation. Driving factors of PTE accumulation in soils were determined by Geo-detector method. Results indicated that Cd exhibited moderate pollution and considerable ecological risk with the highest Igeo of 1.25 and ER of 100.1, respectively. Vehicle ownership (VP) and precipitation (PP) significantly affected accumulation of PTEs, with q values of 0.209 and 0.191 (P < 0.05), respectively. VP paired with PP enhanced nonlinearly PTE accumulation (q = 0.77). Only 6.89% and 1.54% of non-carcinogenic risks for children and adolescent exceeded the threshold of 1, respectively, whereas 93.11%, 95.67%, 58.80% and 58.14% of carcinogenic risks for senior, adults, adolescent, and children surpassed 1E-06, respectively. The results of this study provided valuable implication for managers to design effective strategies for pollution prevent and risk control.

Keywords: Geographic detector model; Potential toxicity elements; Probabilistic health risk; Roadside soils; Vehicle emission.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Child
  • China
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods
  • Humans
  • Metals, Heavy* / analysis
  • Risk Assessment
  • Soil
  • Soil Pollutants* / analysis
  • Soil Pollutants* / toxicity

Substances

  • Metals, Heavy
  • Soil
  • Soil Pollutants