Tracing Sources and Contamination Assessments of Heavy Metals in Road and Foliar Dusts in a Typical Mining City, China

PLoS One. 2016 Dec 16;11(12):e0168528. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168528. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Road and foliar dust samples from four land-use districts of Panzhihua City, a famous V-Ti magnetite production area of China, were collected to investigate the sources and distribution characteristics of 9 heavy metals (V, Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Fe, and Mn). The results suggest that foliar samples had smaller particle size and higher heavy metal contents than road dusts. The contamination assessments of heavy metals were as follows: Pb and V (significant enrichment) > Zn, Ni, Cr, Fe, and Mn (moderate enrichment) > Cd and Ni (minimal enrichment). Statistical analyses showed Pb, as the primary pollution element, originated from waste incineration and lead-fuel combustion. The sources of Zn, Ni, Cr, Fe, V, and Mn were fugitive dust and traffic activities. Potential origins of Cu were corrosion of alloys used in vehicle components, vehicle covers, or other metallic surfaces and materials. The sources of Cd were different from any other heavy metals. Traffic and industrial activities were the main anthropogenic origins of heavy metals in dusts of Panzhihua, and more attention should be paid to heavy metal pollution in agricultural area.

MeSH terms

  • China
  • Dust / analysis*
  • Environmental Exposure / analysis
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods*
  • Metals, Heavy / analysis*
  • Mining
  • Particle Size
  • Plant Leaves / chemistry*
  • Risk Assessment
  • Soil Pollutants / analysis

Substances

  • Dust
  • Metals, Heavy
  • Soil Pollutants

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment (No. 2014ZX07201-010), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41403085). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.