Contamination levels of and potential risks from metal(loid)s in soil-crop systems in high geological background areas

Soil metal(loid)s in high geological background areas occur mainly in the residual form with low bioavailability, and whether these potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in agricultural soils are harmful to human health is of considerable public concern. A paired survey using both soil and crop samples was conducted using 437 contaminated sites in east Yunnan province, southwest China. The concentration, distribution, and source of PTEs (arsenic (As), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and chromium (Cr)) in agricultural soils, and the contamination levels of and potential health risks from PTEs from different pollution sources were evaluated. Soil Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, and As concentrations were higher than the Chinese screening values (GB 15618-2018) of 10.98, 36.16, 24.71, 86.96, 14.19, and 6.64 %, respectively, and Cd greatly exceeded the screening values. Spatial distribution maps indicate that areas with high concentrations of Pb, Cu, Cd, and As were located mainly in mining areas. However, the Zn and Cr concentrations were relatively homogeneous and more dependent on natural processes. The source identification of PTEs shows that Zn and Cr in soils were controlled mainly by the geological background, Pb and As were closely related to anthropogenic activities, and Cu and Cd were related to both sources. Different pollution sources affected crop PTE contents, with average concentrations of Zn, Cd, Cr, and As in high geological background areas significantly lower than in anthropogenic activity areas (p < 0.001), while Cu and As did not differ significantly. Although soil PTEs in high geological background areas represent a relatively high potential risk, they had little impact on crop quality. The hazard indices of different crop products for adults and children followed the sequence: cereals > leafy vegetables > rootstalk vegetables > fruit vegetables. Rootstalk and fruit vegetables are recommended to be grown in the study areas because they are safe for human consumption.