Linking health to geology-a new assessment and zoning model based on the frame of medical geology.

With the growing concerns about the Earth's environment and human health, there has been a surge in research focused on the intersection of health and geology. This study quantitatively assesses the relationship between human health and geological factors using a new framework. The framework considers four key geological environment indicators related to health: soil, water, geological landform, and atmosphere. Results indicate that the atmospheric and water resource indicators in the study area were generally favorable, while the scores of geological landforms varied based on topography. The study also found that the selenium content in the soil greatly exceeded the local background value. Our research underscores the importance of geological factors on human health, establishes a new health-geological assessment model, and provides a scientific foundation for local spatial planning, water resource development, and land resource management. However, due to varying geological conditions worldwide, the framework and indicators for health geology may need to be adjusted accordingly.

Leaching experiments and risk assessment to explore the migration and risk of potentially toxic elements in soil from black shale.

Black shale is rich in potentially toxic elements (PTEs) that migrate through rock weathering or rainfall, adversely affecting human health and the environment. In this study, simulated rainfall leaching experiments were used to investigate the migration patterns and leaching kinetics of PTEs in black shale from the Lower Cambrian Hetang Formation and to analyze the water quality index (WQI) of PTEs in the leachate. A comparison between the risk of PTEs in the leachate and those in the soil was also made to determine the risk sources, risk status, and distribution characteristics of PTEs in the study area. The WQI of the indoor column experimental leachate indicated the highest As contamination. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and potential ecological risk (Er) of soils in the entire region revealed that the risk of Cd was the highest. Furthermore, by mapping the distribution of Igeo and Er in soils, the risk level in the region where black shale is located was found to be significantly higher than that in other areas. Comparing the leaching rate of PTEs with the WQI from leaching experiments, the risk associated with As in soil can be inferred to originate mainly from the leaching of black shale. Previous studies on PTEs in black shale in the study area tended to focus on Cd; however, this study found that the risk of As was not negligible. The health risk assessment also showed that the risk at the location of black shale was beyond the accepted range. Overall, this study provided a new and important evaluation law for the level of pollution by PTEs and health risks in typical black shale regions.

A Comparison of Concentrations and Congener Patterns of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Seasonally Sampled Outdoor Air from a Farmland Area in Guangzhou, South China.

To investigate the concentration and congener patterns of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) in outdoor air from farmland area, air samples were collected using passive and active sample methods from April to November 2012, in an e-waste dismantling town in the Guangzhou region of South China. The sum of gaseous and particulate PBDE concentrations averaged 74.26 pg/m3 and ranged between 3.24 and 247.30 pg/m3, while the mean gaseous and particulate PBDEs were 19.20 and 55.07 pg/m3, respectively. The PBDE level was comparable to those in urban air of non-electric waste areas, but much lower than those in both indoor and outdoor air of e-waste dismantling workshop area. Dominant congeners were BDE-47 and BDE-28 for the gaseous phase and BDE-209 and BDE-99 for the particulate phase. Relationship analysis showed that soil PBDEs were more significantly correlated with passive samples than with active samples, indicating that passive sample pattern could capture the accumulative effect of the sampling period and better represent the extent of soil contamination.

Contamination level of T-2 and HT-2 toxin in cereal crops from Aba area in Sichuan Province, China.

The contamination level of T-2 and HT-2 toxin in cereal crops from Aba area in Sichuan Province of China was investigated by rapid liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The results revealed the high incidence of T-2 and HT-2 toxin and relatively low contamination level in the samples. The incidence of HT-2 toxin was 49.74% and its average level was 3.746 µg/kg. The incidence of toxin was 11.64% and the average level was 0.565 µg/kg. The maximum of T-2 and HT-2 toxin concentration was 3.332 and 34.510 µg/kg, respectively. In addition, contaminated samples not only included homegrown products, but included external purchased rice and flour, which may be attributed to bad storage environment and sanitary conditions.