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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Heavy Metals Pollution Evaluation, Health
Risk Assessment, and Source Identification
in the Reservoirs, Northern Anhui Province, China
1
The Key Laboratory of Universities in Anhui Province for Prevention of Mine Geological Disasters,
Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001, China
2
Joint National-Local Engineering Research Centre for Safe and Precise Coal Mining,
Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001, China
3
State Key Laboratory of Mining Response and Disaster Prevention and Control in Deep Coal Mines,
Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001, China
4
School of Resources and Civil Engineering, Suzhou University, Suzhou 234000, China
5
School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001, China
Submission date: 2024-05-11
Final revision date: 2024-08-10
Acceptance date: 2024-08-15
Online publication date: 2024-10-28
Publication date: 2025-11-14
Corresponding author
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2025;34(6):8131-8142
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Reservoirs, distinctive water bodies, serve as vital water sources for irrigation, electricity generation,
and aquaculture. In this study, 31 water samples from 16 reservoirs in Northern Anhui Province’s Jiagou
region were collected to reveal their pollution status, health risks, and sources. The decreasing order
of the heavy metal concentrations is as follows: Mn > Cr > Ni > As > Zn > Cu > Mo > Co. The heavy
metal pollution index values of all the samples are below 100, indicating the reservoirs’ water quality
is within acceptable standards. The Nemerow comprehensive pollution indicates that M4 and M17
are classified as slightly polluted categories, while the remaining points belong to the non-polluted
categories. The USEPA health risk assessment indicates that Cr is higher than the maximum acceptable
risk levels recommended by certain agencies; the reservoirs’ samples are not suitable as drinking water
resources. Correlation analysis and principal component analysis both suggest that the sources of Co,
Ni, Cu, and Cr may be attributed to human activities involving pesticides and fertilizers. Mo, As, and Zn
may originate from coal combustion, while Mn may be derived from pesticide use. These findings offer
valuable insights for environmental policymakers and inform decision-making for ecological protection.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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