WU Caixin 1,2 , ZHAO Bin 3 , LU Yiming 4 , WANG Jianxu 1
(1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Guiyang 550081, China;
2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
3. GuiZhou Geological Environment Monitoring Institute, Guiyang 550004, China;
4. School of Petroleum Engineering, Yangtze University, Wuhan 430100, China)
Abstract: The high geological background combined with non-ferrous metal mining has led to severe heavy metal pollution in the soils of the karst region in southwest China, thus posing environmental and ecological risks to the region. This study mainly highlights the progress of research on the characteristics of soil heavy metal pollution and human health risks in the karst region in Southwest China, as well as summarizing the research work on the safe use of heavy metal contaminated soils carried out by Chinese and foreign scholars. Accordingly, soil heavy metal pollution in the karst region in Southwest China has raised considerable health risks of heavy metal exposure to the local residents. Implementing safe use of farmland is becoming an important measure to effectively reduce heavy metal contents in the edible part of crops, consequently minimizing human health risks caused by heavy metal exposure. Based on the unique geological background of the karst region, more future research is needed to strengthen(1) the understanding of the mechanism of heavy metal transformation in soils, (2) the health risk assessments of human heavy metal exposure and (3) the safe utilization measures of heavy metal contaminated farmlands in karst regions. The knowledge will support and ensure the ecological health of the karst regions in Southwest China.
Key words: karst; soil; heavy metal pollution; safe utilization
EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT： Vol. 51, No. 5, Tot No.355 2023
