Cadmium pollution caused by artisanal zinc-smelting in Hezhang county

Objective To investigate the current situation of cadmium pollution and environmental problems caused by artisanal zinc-smelting.Methods The urine samples of the residents,the samples of soil,eight kinds of common crops,four kinds of animal offal,and domestic water in polluted and control area were collected.The contents of cadmium in all samples were measured.The information on demographics and living behovior were collected with a questionnaire among 54 residents in polluted area and 40 residents in control area.Results The contents of cadmium in soil and domestic water from polluted area were 15.3314±8.0221 μg/g and 0.6485±0.2301 μg/L,and significantly higher than those from control area(2.0675±2.3716 μg/g and 0.0022±0.0009 μg/L,P<0.01).The contents of cadmium in eight kinds of common crops and three kinds of animal offal from polluted area were higher than those from control area(P<0.05).The level of uninary cadmium in exposure group was 9.57(2.55-47.75) μg/g Cr and significantly higher than that in control group(2.550.68-9.86μg/gCr,P<0.01).Conclusion The background level of cadmium in soil in the polluted area is higher than that of control area,and the level of cadmium is aggravated by artisanal zinc-smelting.The contents of cadmium in common crops,animal offal,domestic water and in the urine of the residents in polluted area are higher than those in control area.