Source-specific ecological risk assessment and quantitative source apportionment of heavy metals in surface sediments of Pearl River Estuary, China. 2022

He Xiao, and Asfandyar Shahab, and Feng Ye, and Gangjian Wei, and Jieyue Li, and Liming Deng
Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou 511458, China; State Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry, CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China.

In this study, surface sediments of the Pearl River Estuary were collected from 29 stations and investigated the spatial distribution, pollution level, quantitative source apportionment, and source-specific ecological risk of 10 heavy metals. The mean concentrations followed the order of Mn > Zn > Cr > Cu > Ni > Pb > As > Co > Cd > Hg. In terms of spatial distribution, it showed that the heavy metals were enriched in the inner Pearl River Estuary with 'extremely high' level of Hg, whereas, Cd and Zn posed 'moderate to high' contamination potential. We apportioned four main sources using positive matrix factorization model, in which natural geogenic and industrial manufacturing sources accounted for 36.84% and 27.11% of the total, respectively. However, the source-specific risk assessment suggested that mixed anthropogenic sources were the main contributors, and ecological risks were strongly affected by anthropogenic imports from the surrounding cities.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008628 Mercury A silver metallic element that exists as a liquid at room temperature. It has the atomic symbol Hg (from hydrargyrum, liquid silver), atomic number 80, and atomic weight 200.59. Mercury is used in many industrial applications and its salts have been employed therapeutically as purgatives, antisyphilitics, disinfectants, and astringents. It can be absorbed through the skin and mucous membranes which leads to MERCURY POISONING. Because of its toxicity, the clinical use of mercury and mercurials is diminishing.
D002104 Cadmium An element with atomic symbol Cd, atomic number 48, and atomic weight 112.41. It is a metal and ingestion will lead to CADMIUM POISONING.
D002681 China A country spanning from central Asia to the Pacific Ocean. Inner Mongolia,Manchuria,People's Republic of China,Sinkiang,Mainland China
D004784 Environmental Monitoring The monitoring of the level of toxins, chemical pollutants, microbial contaminants, or other harmful substances in the environment (soil, air, and water), workplace, or in the bodies of people and animals present in that environment. Monitoring, Environmental,Environmental Surveillance,Surveillance, Environmental
D014874 Water Pollutants, Chemical Chemical compounds which pollute the water of rivers, streams, lakes, the sea, reservoirs, or other bodies of water. Chemical Water Pollutants,Landfill Leachate,Leachate, Landfill,Pollutants, Chemical Water
D045483 Rivers Large natural streams of FRESH WATER formed by converging tributaries and which empty into a body of water (lake or ocean). Streams,River,Stream
D018570 Risk Assessment The qualitative or quantitative estimation of the likelihood of adverse effects that may result from exposure to specified health hazards or from the absence of beneficial influences. (Last, Dictionary of Epidemiology, 1988) Assessment, Risk,Benefit-Risk Assessment,Risk Analysis,Risk-Benefit Assessment,Health Risk Assessment,Risks and Benefits,Analysis, Risk,Assessment, Benefit-Risk,Assessment, Health Risk,Assessment, Risk-Benefit,Benefit Risk Assessment,Benefit-Risk Assessments,Benefits and Risks,Health Risk Assessments,Risk Analyses,Risk Assessment, Health,Risk Assessments,Risk Benefit Assessment,Risk-Benefit Assessments
D019015 Geologic Sediments A mass of organic or inorganic solid fragmented material, or the solid fragment itself, that comes from the weathering of rock and is carried by, suspended in, or dropped by air, water, or ice. It refers also to a mass that is accumulated by any other natural agent and that forms in layers on the earth's surface, such as sand, gravel, silt, mud, fill, or loess. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed, p1689) Marine Oil Snow,Sediments, Geologic,Sediments, Marine,Geologic Sediment,Marine Snow,Sediment, Geologic,Marine Oil Snows,Marine Sediment,Marine Sediments,Oil Snow, Marine,Sediment, Marine,Snow, Marine Oil
D019216 Metals, Heavy Metals with high specific gravity, typically larger than 5. They have complex spectra, form colored salts and double salts, have a low electrode potential, are mainly amphoteric, yield weak bases and weak acids, and are oxidizing or reducing agents (From Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed) Heavy Metal,Heavy Metals,Metal, Heavy
D063366 Estuaries A partially enclosed body of water, and its surrounding coastal habitats, where saltwater from the ocean mixes with fresh water from rivers or streams. The resulting mixture of seawater and fresh water is called brackish water and its salinity can range from 0.5 to 35 ppt. (accessed http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/estuaries/estuaries01_whatis.html) Fjord,Estuary,Fjords

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