Abstract

Heavymetal contamination and spatial distribution of agricultural soil and vegetables in a village of a mining area in guangxi, China

Author(s): Zhang Xinying, Lin Qing, Jin Mei, Wu Yufeng, Zeng Benhao

A administrative village including 13 natural villages in a mining area was selected as the study area in Guangxi. 89 vegetable samples and correspondingly 89 arable soil samples were collected. As, Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu, etc. pollutants in all the samples were detected. The results show that: the rate of As, Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu in vegetable samples exceeded the standard level are 100%, 92%, 85%, 62% and 23%, respectively. Heavy metals in almost all soil samples exceed the agricultural soil quality evaluation criteria. The main pollutants are As, Pb and Cd. This implies that local mining activities have seriously affected the local rural environment. The local rural land is unsuitable for cultivation of food crops, or health risks may conduct to the inhabitants. Geostatistical method was used to analyze the spatial distribution of various pollutants. The results show that the northwest village is polluted the most heavily, which is consistent with the distribution of pollution sources.