grown around an Sb mine in Ribes Valley (Eastern Pyrenees) has a concentration of Sb and As of 68 mg kg −1 and 240 mg kg −1 in its buds.
Therefore, the plants grown around Sb mine accumulate high concentrations of Sb and As. Generally, the concentrations of Sb and As are usually less than 10 mg kg −1 in the nonpolluted soil, but they reach several thousand mg kg −1 and several hundred mg kg −1 in the mining areas (especially the areas near waste-rock piles, tailing piles, and smelters), respectively. XKS mine has been under mining and smelting for over 110 years, and the longtime large-scale mining and smelting operations caused severe As and Sb pollution to the local environment.
Xikuangshan (XKS) in Hunan, the world’s largest Sb mine, is reported to produce 25% of the world’s Sb. Ĭhina is the world’s largest antimony producer, and its average annual production of antimony accounts for 80% of the global produce. However, compared with the widespread studies on As, Sb has drawn relatively little attention. Like arsenic (As), Sb and its compounds are listed as pollutants of priority interest by the United States Environment Protection Agency and the European Union. Microamount of Sb entering the human body will cause diseases to liver, skin, respiratory and cardiovascular systems, or even cancer. IntroductionĪntimony (Sb), a nonessential toxic metal for life, widely exists in the lithosphere. Health risk assessment results showed that the hazard quotient (HQ) values of Sb and As in vegetables were in the ranges of 1.61–3.33 and 0.09–0.39, respectively the chronic daily intake (CDI) and hazard quotient (HQ) values of Sb were over the safe limit recommended by FAO and WHO, indicating that long-term consumption of vegetables from the surrounding soils of XKS mine may bring health risks to residents. had higher capacity of redistributing Sb and As within the plant. showed advantage in accumulating Sb and As Coriandrum sativum L. was the lowest in both Sb and As Daucus carota L. was the highest in As, and Brassica pekinensis L.
was the highest in Sb, Allium fistulosum L. Sb and As concentrations in vegetables were quite different: Coriandrum sativum L. Results showed that the soils were severely polluted by Sb and As Sb and As have significant positive correlation. This paper studies the concentrations and accumulations of Sb and As in both soils and vegetables and the human health risks of Sb and As in vegetables from Xikuangshan (XKS) Sb mine, Hunan, China. Heavy metal pollution in soils caused by mining and smelting has attracted worldwide attention for its potential health risks to residents.