Risk Assessments of Heavy Metals to Children Following Non-dietary Exposures and Sugarcane Consumption in a Rural Area in Southern China

• Published in: Exposure and health 2020-03, Vol.12 (1), p.1-8
• Main Authors: Wang, Xiao-fei, Deng, Chao-bing, Sunahara, Geoffrey, Yin, Juan, Xu, Gui-ping, Zhu, Kai-xian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Cadmium; Carcinogens; Chromium; Dietary intake; Dust; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Environmental Health; Exposure; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Heavy metals; Inhalation; Juices; Mine wastes; Mining; Original Paper; Pollution; Regression models; Respiration; Risk assessment; Rural areas; Soil contaminants; Soil contamination; Soils; Sugarcane; Waste Water Technology; Water and Health; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Water Quality/Water Pollution
• ISSN: 2451-9766; 2451-9685
• DOI: 10.1007/s12403-018-0275-0

Based on the context of a rural area contaminated by mining waste in Guangxi, China, the health risks of seven heavy metals (HM) to local children were evaluated. Risk assessments of soil HMs to individuals exposed through non-dietary routes and consuming locally grown sugarcane (juice) were conducted. Results indicated that the ranking for risks of HM exposures was juice drinking > non-dietary oral intake > dermal contact > inhalation. For non-carcinogenic risks, Cr and Cd in sugarcane juice posed the most significant risks, whereas As and Pb posed the highest risks through non-dietary exposure routes. A newly established assessment model using a regression equation of hazard index of HMs to ratios of soil HM concentrations/total reference doses, showed that the non-dietary HM risk was closely correlated to the environmental HM levels and human sensitivities, which can be measured by HM total daily reference doses.