Lead transfer in the soil-root-plant system in a highly contaminated Andean area

PeerJ

article

Jorge Castro-Bedriñana¹  Doris Chirinos-Peinado²  Edgar Garcia-Olarte³  Rolando Quispe-Ramos¹ 

[1] Specialized Research Institute of the Faculty of Zootechnics, Universidad Nacional del Centro del Perú;Nutritional Food Safety Research Center, Universidad Nacional del Centro del Perú;Faculty of Zootechnics, Universidad Nacional del Centro del Perú

关键词: Heavy metals;    Contaminated soil;    Soil pH;    Forage quality;    Lead bioaccumulation;    Smelting;    Bioaccumulation factor;    Lead in plans;    Highland Andes Peru;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.10624

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Lead (Pb) is highly toxic heavy metal that is detrimental to the food system. There are large mining and metallurgical companies in the central highlands of Peru that have been active for almost a century and contribute to air, water, and soil pollution, affecting food quality and causing damage to the environment and human health. Our study, conducted in 2018, assessed the content and transfer of lead in the soil-root-plant system in the high Andean grasslands in a geographical area near the metallurgical complex of La Oroya. Lead levels were measured in 120 samples of top soil (0–20 cm), roots, and grass shoots by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. No significant differences were found between the soil pH, organic matter content, and lead among the samples evaluated (P shoot (P < 0.01) (212.36 ±  38.40, 154.65 ±  52.85 and 19.71 ±  2.81 mg/kg, respectively). The soil-to-root Pb bioconcentration factor, root-to-shoot translocation factor, and soil-to-shoot bioaccumulation factor values were 0.74 ±  0.26, 0.14 ±  0.06 and 0.10 ±  0.03, respectively. Lead in the soil was 3.03 times higher than the maximum limit for agricultural soil, and was 1.97 times higher than the value limit for fodder. Our findings are important and show that soils and pasture in this geographical area have high Pb levels due to metallurgical emissions that have been occurring since 1922. Such pollution negatively impacts health and the socio-economic status of the exposed populations.

【 授权许可】

CC BY