Evaluation of soil contamination indices in a mining area of Jiangxi, China.
There is currently a wide variety of methods used to evaluate soil contamination. We present a discussion of the advantages and limitations of different soil contamination assessment methods. In this study, we analyzed seven trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn) that are indicators of soil contamination in Dexing, a city in China that is famous for its vast nonferrous mineral resources in China, using enrichment factor (EF), geoaccumulation index (Igeo), pollution index (PI), and principal component analysis (PCA). The three contamination indices and PCA were then mapped to understand the status and trends of soil contamination in this region. The entire study area is strongly enriched in Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn, especially in areas near mine sites. As and Hg were also present in high concentrations in urban areas. Results indicated that Cr in this area originated from both anthropogenic and natural sources. PCA combined with Geographic Information System (GIS) was successfully used to discriminate between natural and anthropogenic trace metals.
College of Water Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Jin
J
Wu
College of Water Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Yanguo
Y
Teng
China National Environmental Monitoring Center, Beijing, China.
Sijin
S
Lu
China National Environmental Monitoring Center, Beijing, China.
Yeyao
Y
Wang
College of Water Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Xudong
X
Jiao
D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis; D008906:Mining; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic
D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012989:Soil Pollutants