Environmental and human health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in soils around the largest coal-fired power station in Southern Russia
- 17 July 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Environmental Geochemistry and Health
- Vol. 43 (6), 2285-2300
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-020-00666-4
Abstract
The combustion of solid fuel at power plants pollutes adjacent areas with potentially toxic elements (PTEs), which increases risks to public health in the vicinity of these facilities. The proposed paper presents the results of a geochemical study of PTEs (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) contamination in the vicinity of Novocherkassk Power Plant (NPP) as it relates to environmental and human health risks. The impact zone of NPP is pronounced for a distance of approximately 7 km northwest of the enterprise—the second largest coal power plant in Southern Russia. Data from monitoring sites lead us to conclude that spatial patterns of soil pollution are strongly influenced by the peculiarities of local atmospheric circulation, while the characteristics of soils within the study area play a secondary role. The highest levels of PTEs and their exchangeable forms exceed both regional background and sanitary and hygienic standards within a radius of 3 km to the west of the plant, which corresponds to a zone of soils contaminated with Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb. The carcinogenic risk to human health slightly exceeds the permissible standard of 1 × 10−6 for soils in close vicinity of the enterprise due to the potential human intake of Ni, Cd, and Pb. The results of the health risk assessment indicate no noncarcinogenic risks for adults, while for children, they are low.Keywords
Funding Information
- Russian Foundation of Basic Research (19-29-05265, 19-34-60041)
- Council on grants of the President of the Russian Federation (MK-2973.2019.4)
This publication has 35 references indexed in Scilit:
- Assisted phytoremediation of fly ash dumps through naturally colonized plantsEcological Engineering, 2015
- CopperPublished by Elsevier BV ,2014
- ChromiumPublished by Elsevier BV ,2014
- Distribution of environmentally sensitive elements in residential soils near a coal-fired power plant: Potential risks to ecology and children’s healthChemosphere, 2013
- Permissible and background concentrations of pollutants in environmental regulation (heavy metals and other chemical elements)Eurasian Soil Science, 2011
- Lead Exposure and Caries in ChildrenPublished by Elsevier BV ,2011
- Exposure assessment and risk characterization from trace elements following soil ingestion by children exposed to playgrounds, parks and picnic areasJournal of Hazardous Materials, 2010
- Geochemical background—concept and realityScience of The Total Environment, 2005
- Manganese toxicity upon overexposureNMR in Biomedicine, 2004
- Evaluation of the Hazard Quotient Method for Risk Assessment of SeleniumEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 1996