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<p>Long-term mining has exacerbated heavy metal contamination in regional soils, leading to their accumulation in crops and posing significant health risks to local populations. This study applied an integrated evaluation framework combining field sampling, conventional multi-index methods, and the Influence Index of Comprehensive Quality (<i>IICQ</i>) to assess heavy metal contamination in a mining-affected agroecosystem. Results indicated that 26.4% of soils were contaminated, dominated by Cd, Zn, and Pb, primarily near mining sites. In maize, 55.4% of samples were polluted, mainly due to As and Ni, with 30.4% and 55.4% exceeding their respective safety limits. Low bioconcentration factors and weak soil-crop correlations revealed a contamination disconnect. Critically, the&#xa0;<i>IICQ</i>&#xa0;identified 26.8% of soil-maize systems as “sub-healthy”, highlighting the limitation of relying solely on soil data for predicting crop safety. Health risk assessment based on maize consumption revealed distinct and population-specific dietary risks. For children, the non-carcinogenic hazard index (<i>HI</i>) reached 1.31, exceeding the safe threshold of 1, which was driven largely by arsenic neurotoxicity. For adults, although the non-carcinogenic risk was below the threshold (HI = 0.58), the total carcinogenic risk (<i>TCR</i>) was 1.67 × 10⁻<sup>4</sup>, surpassing the USEPA’s acceptable limit (10⁻<sup>4</sup>). This study demonstrates the applicability of the <i>IICQ</i> as an innovative framework for comprehensively assessing heavy metal contamination status in mining-affected soil-crop systems and informing region-specific risk management.</p>

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Integrated assessment of heavy metal contamination and dietary health risks in mining soil-crop systems using the IICQ: a case study of maize in Luanchuan, China

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月12日

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  • Xianda Cheng,
  • Jianwei Sun,
  • Duoxun Xu,
  • Xu Jia,
  • Xiangdong Liu,
  • Honglin Huang

摘要

Long-term mining has exacerbated heavy metal contamination in regional soils, leading to their accumulation in crops and posing significant health risks to local populations. This study applied an integrated evaluation framework combining field sampling, conventional multi-index methods, and the Influence Index of Comprehensive Quality (IICQ) to assess heavy metal contamination in a mining-affected agroecosystem. Results indicated that 26.4% of soils were contaminated, dominated by Cd, Zn, and Pb, primarily near mining sites. In maize, 55.4% of samples were polluted, mainly due to As and Ni, with 30.4% and 55.4% exceeding their respective safety limits. Low bioconcentration factors and weak soil-crop correlations revealed a contamination disconnect. Critically, the IICQ identified 26.8% of soil-maize systems as “sub-healthy”, highlighting the limitation of relying solely on soil data for predicting crop safety. Health risk assessment based on maize consumption revealed distinct and population-specific dietary risks. For children, the non-carcinogenic hazard index (HI) reached 1.31, exceeding the safe threshold of 1, which was driven largely by arsenic neurotoxicity. For adults, although the non-carcinogenic risk was below the threshold (HI = 0.58), the total carcinogenic risk (TCR) was 1.67 × 10⁻4, surpassing the USEPA’s acceptable limit (10⁻4). This study demonstrates the applicability of the IICQ as an innovative framework for comprehensively assessing heavy metal contamination status in mining-affected soil-crop systems and informing region-specific risk management.