Characteristics Of Environmental Heavy Metal Exposure And Health Risk Assessment In Taiyuan City

Objective:The establishment of Taiyuan city environmental heavy metal exposure information database provides a reference for the setting of some major heavy metal total exposure limit standards.The aims of our study are to understand the exposure characteristics of heavy metals in Taiyuan,to compare the differences between urban and rural areas in two seasons,and to establish the health risk assessment model of heavy metals for the trend of exposure and risk development in time.Methods:1.The total environmental heavy metal exposure of residents in north China was investigated by epidemiological investigation.2.Data from three communities and three rural in Taiyuan,Shanxi Province,heating season and non-heating season of drinking water,soil,air particulate matter PM₁₀,indoor dust and heavy metals in food content characteristics were analyzed,compared and evaluated.3.Health risk assessment mainly included the assessment of health hazards caused by pollutants carried by air,soil,water and food chain through direct consumption,inhalation and skin contact.In this study,these three pathways were used to estimate the population exposure parameters and to evaluate the health risk.Results:1.There were significant differences in the contents of drinking water,soil,PM₁₀,indoor dust and some heavy metals in food between rural and urban areas in heating and non-heating seasons?P<0.05?.2.The total exposure to cadmium,mercury,arsenic,lead and chromium was the largest in the population.According to the analysis of environmental media,five heavy metals contributed the most to the exposure of heavy food metals,and soil was the second.According to the analysis of exposure pathway,the exposure ratio of the five heavy metals through the three pathways showed that the exposure ratio of the five types of heavy metals was through the mouth,through the skin and through the air.3.The results of exposure risk of heavy metals in environmental media indicated that the health risk level of heavy metals in drinking water was ranked as arsenic,chromium,lead,mercury,cadmium.Food exposure risk ranking results was same as drinking water and the risk of air exposure of five heavy metals were negligible.Conclusions:1.In practice,it is necessary to establish the parameters of exposure for different areas of the population in China.2.In this study,drinking water exposure to arsenic was a high risk,food exposure to chromium was a medium risk,and oral exposure contributed the most to total heavy metal exposure.Therefore,emphasis should be placed on prevention and improvement measures to strengthen the regulation of heavy metals in drinking water and food.