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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2017) | Viewed by 42524

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Prysor Williams

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Guest Editor

School of Environment, Natural Resources & Geography, College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Gwynedd, UK
Interests: pathogens and zoonotic agents; animal by-product disposal; sustainable intensification of agriculture; soil and nutrient management; waste management and utilisation

Prof. Dr. Davey Jones

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Guest Editor

School of Natural Resources, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK
Interests: microplastics; soil health; greenhouse gas emissions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soils deliver a vast amount of ecosystem services, from biodiversity, to food production, to carbon storage, and flood prevention. Managing soils in a sustainable way has never been so important, yet, globally, our soils face more pressures now than ever before. Extreme weather events, urbanization, intensive food production systems, industrialization, and pollution events are just some of the factors that threaten the resilience of global soils.

There is also an inextricable link between soils and human health: They can act as efficient filters of harmful substances, but can also be sources of pathogens and toxic substances. Human infections or illnesses are derived from direct ingestion of soil (e.g., on food) or aerosolized soil, or through contamination of via other pathways such as drinking water. Occasionally, soils can act as sources of serious microbial pathogens (e.g., anthrax) or chemical hazards (e.g., radioactive wastes or heavy metals). The management of soils, therefore, has significant implications for public health.

This Special Issue aims to collate a series of papers summarizing new information on the linkage between soils and public health. We invite contributions that give an insight into the pathways of infection or illness, emerging risks to public health from new or rare forms of soil pollution, and the remediation of polluted soils. Finally, risk assessment studies focusing on how to mitigate the threat to public health from polluted or contaminated soils will be welcomed.

Dr. Prysor Williams
Prof. Dr. Davey Jones
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

Epidemiology
Human pathogens
Contamination
Persistence and degradation
Exposure
Bioaccumulation
Risk assessment
Remediation
Modelling
Heavy metals
Xenobiotics
Persistent organic pollutants
Radionuclides
Ecotoxicology
Exposure models

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

5664 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Risk Assessment and Source Identification of 17 Metals and Metalloids on Soils from the Half-Century Old Tungsten Mining Areas in Lianhuashan, Southern China

by Li Guo, Weituo Zhao, Xiaowen Gu, Xinyun Zhao, Juan Chen and Shenggao Cheng

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(12), 1475; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph14121475 - 29 Nov 2017

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5214

Abstract

Background: Mining activities always emit metal(loid)s into the surrounding environment, where their accumulation in the soil may pose risks and hazards to humans and ecosystems. Objective: This paper aims to determine of the type, source, chemical form, fate and transport, and accurate risk assessment of 17 metal(loid) contaminants including As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cr, Ag, B, Bi, Co, Mo, Sb, Ti, V, W and Sn in the soils collected from an abandoned tungsten mining area, and to guide the implementing of appropriate remediation strategies. Methods: Contamination factors (CFs) and integrated pollution indexes (IPIs) and enrichment factors (EFs) were used to assess their ecological risk and the sources were identified by using multivariate statistics analysis, spatial distribution investigation and correlation matrix. Results: The IPI and EF values indicated the soils in the mine site and the closest downstream one were extremely disturbed by metal(loid)s such as As, Bi, W, B, Cu, Pb and Sn, which were emitted from the mining wastes and acid drainages and delivered by the runoff and human activities. Arsenic contamination was detected in nine sites with the highest CF values at 24.70 next to the mining site. The Cd contamination scattered in the paddy soils around the resident areas with higher fraction of bioavailable forms, primarily associated with intense application of phosphorus fertilizer. The lithogenic elements V, Ti, Ag, Ni, Sb, Mo exhibit low contamination in all sampling points and their distribution were depended on the soil texture and pedogenesis process. Conclusions: The long term historical mining activities have caused severe As contamination and higher enrichment of the other elements of orebody in the local soils. The appropriate remediation treatment approach should be proposed to reduce the bioavailability of Cd in the paddy soils and to immobilize As to reclaim the soils around the mining site. Furthermore, alternative fertilizing way and irrigating water sources are urgencies to reduce the input of Cd and As into the local soils effectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Pollution and Public Health)

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898 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Immobilization of Lead Migrating from Contaminated Soil in Rhizosphere Soil of Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa) Using Hydroxyapatite

by Masahiko Katoh, Elsya Risky and Takeshi Sato

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(10), 1273; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph14101273 - 23 Oct 2017

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3688

Abstract

This study conducted plant growth tests using a rhizobox system to quantitatively determine the distance of immobilization lead migrating from contaminated soil into uncontaminated rhizosphere soil, and to assess the lead phases accumulated in rhizosphere soil by sequential extraction. Without the hydroxyapatite, exchangeable lead fractions increased as the rhizosphere soil got closer to the contaminated soil. Exchangeable lead fractions were higher even in the rhizosphere soil that shares a boundary with the root surface than in the soil before being planted. Thus, plant growth of hairy vetch was lower in the soil without the hydroxyapatite than in the soil with the hydroxyapatite. The presence of hydroxyapatite may immobilize the majority of lead migrating from contaminated soil into the rhizosphere soil within 1 mm from the contaminated soil. The dominant lead fraction in the rhizosphere soil with the hydroxyapatite was residual. Thus, plant growth was not suppressed and the lead concentration of the plant shoot remained at the background level. These results indicate that the presence of hydroxyapatite in the rhizosphere soil at 5% wt may immobilize most of the lead migrating into the rhizosphere soil within 1 mm from the contaminated soil, resulting in the prevention of lead migration toward the root surface. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Pollution and Public Health)

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3872 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution and Health Risks in the Soil-Plant-Human System in the Yangtze River Delta, China

by Bifeng Hu, Xiaolin Jia, Jie Hu, Dongyun Xu, Fang Xia and Yan Li

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(9), 1042; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph14091042 - 10 Sep 2017

Cited by 310 | Viewed by 15686

Abstract

Heavy metal (HM) contamination and accumulation is a serious problem around the world due to the toxicity, abundant sources, non-biodegradable properties, and accumulative behaviour of HMs. The degree of soil HM contamination in China, especially in the Yangtze River Delta, is prominent. In this study, 1822 pairs of soil and crop samples at corresponding locations were collected from the southern Yangtze River Delta of China, and the contents of Ni, Cr, Zn, Cd, As, Cu, Hg, and Pb were measured. The single pollution index in soil (SPI) and Nemerow composite pollution index (NCPI) were used to assess the degree of HM pollution in soil, and the crop pollution index (CPI) was used to explore the degree of HM accumulation in crops. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) was used to investigate the translocation of heavy metals in the soil-crop system. The health risks caused by HMs were calculated based on the model released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The SPIs of all elements were at the unpolluted level. The mean NCPI was at the alert level. The mean CPIs were in the following decreasing order: Ni (1.007) > Cr (0.483) > Zn (0.335) > Cd (0.314) > As (0.232) > Cu (0.187) > Hg (0.118) > Pb (0.105). Only the mean content of Ni in the crops exceeded the national standard value. The standard exceeding rates were used to represent the percentage of samples whose heavy metal content is higher than the corresponding national standard values. The standard exceeding rates of Cu, Hg, and Cd in soil were significantly higher than corresponding values in crops. Meanwhile, the standard exceeding rates of Ni, As, and Cr in crops were significantly higher than corresponding values in soil. The chronic daily intake (CDI) of children (13.8 × 10⁻³) was the largest among three age groups, followed by adults (6.998 × 10⁻⁴) and seniors (5.488 × 10⁻⁴). The bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) of all crops followed the order Cd (0.249) > Zn (0.133) > As (0.076) > Cu (0.064) > Ni (0.018) > Hg (0.011) > Cr (0.010) > Pb (0.001). Therefore, Cd was most easily absorbed by crops, and different crops had different capacities to absorb HMs. The hazard quotient (HQ) represents the potential non-carcinogenic risk for an individual HM and it is an estimation of daily exposure to the human population that is not likely to represent an appreciable risk of deleterious effects during a lifetime. All the HQs of the HMs for the different age groups were significantly less than the alert value of 1.0 and were at a safe level. This indicated that citizens in the study area face low potential non-carcinogenic risk caused by HMs. The total carcinogens risks (TCRs) for children, adults, and seniors were 5.24 × 10⁻⁵, 2.65 × 10⁻⁵, and 2.08 × 10⁻⁵, respectively, all of which were less than the guideline value but at the alert level. Ingestion was the main pathway of carcinogen risk to human health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Pollution and Public Health)

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1806 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Arsenic Speciation and Extraction and the Significance of Biodegradable Acid on Arsenic Removal—An Approach for Remediation of Arsenic-Contaminated Soil

by Thinh Nguyen Van, Yasuhito Osanai, Hai Do Nguyen and Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(9), 990; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph14090990 - 31 Aug 2017

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5837

Abstract

A series of arsenic remediation tests were conducted using a washing method with biodegradable organic acids, including oxalic, citric and ascorbic acids. Approximately 80% of the arsenic in one sample was removed under the effect of the ascorbic and oxalic acid combination, which was roughly twice higher than the effectiveness of the ascorbic and citric acid combination under the same conditions. The soils treated using biodegradable acids had low remaining concentrations of arsenic that are primarily contained in the crystalline iron oxides and organic matter fractions. The close correlation between extracted arsenic and extracted iron/aluminum suggested that arsenic was removed via the dissolution of Fe/Al oxides in soils. The fractionation of arsenic in four contaminated soils was investigated using a modified sequential extraction method. Regarding fractionation, we found that most of the soil contained high proportions of arsenic (As) in exchangeable fractions with phosphorus, amorphous oxides, and crystalline iron oxides, while a small amount of the arsenic fraction was organic matter-bound. This study indicated that biodegradable organic acids can be considered as a means for arsenic-contaminated soil remediation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Pollution and Public Health)

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1037 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exogenous GR24 Alleviates Cadmium Toxicity by Reducing Cadmium Uptake in Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) Seedlings

by Zhenglan Tai, Xinqiang Yin, Zhigang Fang, Gaoling Shi, Laiqing Lou and Qingsheng Cai

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(8), 852; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph14080852 - 29 Jul 2017

Cited by 46 | Viewed by 4957

Abstract

Strigolactones (SLs) are classified into plant hormones, playing a key role as a mediator of plant growth in response to several abiotic stresses, including drought and salinity. However, the role of SLs in cadmium (Cd)-induced stress to plants is still unknown. The physiological responses of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) stressed in 10 μmol L^-1 Cd to exogenous synthetic SLs analog, GR24 were studied in hydroponics. The Cd stress significantly caused the adverse effects on plant growth and root morphology, inhibited photosynthesis, but boosted lipid peroxidation of Switchgrass seedlings. After treatment of 1 μmol L^-1 GR24, the above adverse effects caused by Cd stress were significantly alleviated, mainly reflects in improvement of shoot biomass, relative water content, root development, chlorophyll contents, activities of typical antioxidant enzymes, nutrient uptake. The reason for exogenous GR24 alleviating cadmium toxicity might be owing to that exogenous GR24 promoted the content of endogenous SLs, increased some essential element Fe (iron), Zn (zinc), Mn (manganese) and Cu (copper) uptake and reduced cadmium uptake, accumulation and partition in shoot of switchgrass seedlings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Pollution and Public Health)

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12330 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Distribution of Heavy Metals and the Environmental Quality of Soil in the Northern Plateau of Spain by Geostatistical Methods

by Fernando Santos-Francés, Antonio Martínez-Graña, Carmelo Ávila Zarza, Antonio García Sánchez and Pilar Alonso Rojo

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(6), 568; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph14060568 - 26 May 2017

Cited by 84 | Viewed by 6032

Abstract

The environmental quality of soil in the central part of the Northern Plateau of Spain has been analyzed by studying the heavy metal content of 166 samples belonging to the horizons A, B and C of 89 soil profiles. The analysis to assess the environmental risk of heavy metals in the soil was carried out by means of the spatial distribution of nine heavy metals and the use of several pollution indices. The results showed that the concentration values of heavy metals (x ± S) in the superficial soil horizons were the following: With a total of 6.71 ± 3.51 mg kg −1, the contents of Cd is 0.08 ± 0.06 mg kg−1, Co is 6.49 ± 3.21 mg kg−1, Cu is 17.19 ± 10.69 mg kg−1, Cr is 18.68 ± 12.28 mg kg−1, Hg is 0.083 ± 0.063 mg kg−1, Ni is 12.05 ± 6.76 mg kg−1, Pb is 14.10 ± 11.32 mg kg−1 and Zn is 35.31 ± 14.63 mg kg−1. These nine metals exceed the values of the natural geological background level of Tertiary period sediments and rocks that form part of the Northern Plateau in Spain. Nemerow and Potential Ecological Risk indices were calculated, with the “improved” Nemerow index allowing pollution within the soil superficial horizons to be determined. The data obtained indicated that the majority of the soil (54.61%) showed low to moderate contamination, 22.31% showed moderate contamination and 21.54% of the samples were not contaminated. If we consider the Potential of Ecological Risk Index (RI), the largest percentage of soil samples showed low (70.79%) to moderate (25.38%) ecological risk of potential contamination, where the rest of the soil presented a considerable risk of contamination. The nine trace elements were divided into three principal components: PC1 (Cu, Cr, Ni, Co and Zn), PC2 (As and Hg) and PC3 (Cd). All metals accumulated in the soil came from parent rock, agricultural practices and the run-off of residual waters towards rivers and streams caused by industrial development and an increase in population density. Finally, cartography of the spatial distribution of the heavy metal contents in the soil of the Northern Plateau of Spain was generated using Kriging interpolation methods. Furthermore, the total heavy metal contents in three soil orders present in the area, namely Entisols, Inceptisols, and Alfisols, were analyzed. Other soil parameters, such as the organic matter content, pH, clay content and cation exchange capacity, was measured to determine their influence on and correlation with the heavy metal contents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Pollution and Public Health)

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