by Ying Hu, Jiantong Lu, Yan Gao, Xiaotang Ye, Chi Zhang, Jiankuan Li, Hewan Huang, Chenxi Li In the context of the interplay between ecology, society, and economy, analyzing the characteristics of soil heavy metal pollution and constructing ecological security patterns have emerged as critical scientific issues that necessitate urgent attention for the advancement of high-quality agricultural development. This study focused on the farmland surrounding the Baiyun Mountain mining area in Nanyang, China, and involved the collection of 437 surface soil samples (0–20 cm) to analyze the spatial differentiation characteristics of nine heavy metal elements, including Ag, Cu, and Pb.
An ecological risk assessment model was developed to evaluate the ecological risks posed by potentially toxic elements in the region, based on the theory of matter element extension. Additionally, the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model was employed to analyze the sources of heavy metal pollutants.
PLOS ONE (Medicine) published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 17 Jun 2026.
The item focuses on Source analysis and ecological risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in farmland soil around a mining area.
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