Effects of Lead and Other Metals from Historical Smelting on Sustainable Fruit and Vegetable Cultivation

抄録

Wollongong, located in the Illawarra region of NSW Australia, contains the industrial complex of Port Kembla. Lead in Port Kembla soils, ~2.5 km from a former copper smelter (1908-2003), have exceeded soil contamination guidelines for human health (HIL) and ecological (EIL) investigation levels. Previous studies regarding heavy metal contamination from the industrial complex, do not include comparisons to HIL and EIL guidelines. This study re-examines the risk of legacy (historic) heavy metals in urban soils to residents in proximity to the Port Kembla industrial complex. This was accomplished by reviewing: (i) resolution of heavy metal dispersion data from the copper smelter, in historic soil concentration data (n=95 top soil samples) collected by Jafari (2009) and reviewed by Noller (2020a); (ii) providing a new comparison of historic percentile data to current Australian soil contamination guidelines (NEPC, 2013) and German atmospheric pollutant guidelines; and (iii) re-evaluating treatments to soil data by Jafari (2009), in the context of bioaccessibility and bioavailability to humans and plants. At 75^th percentile, arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead and zinc concentrations exceeded HIL Level A guidelines. When detection limit values (52 out of 95) were removed (n=22 samples), median cadmium concentrations exceeded HIL Level A guidelines. Dietary exposure to cadmium, lead, zinc and copper is a risk to residents through the consumption of vegetables grown in urban gardens in proximity to the Port Kembla industrial complex. Copper in vegetables sampled from soils in the vicinity of the Port Kembla copper smelter was greater in comparison to sampling completed at other smelter sites. Port Kembla urban garden vegetables showed exceedance of food guidelines for both cadmium and lead, highlighting the health risks of growing vegetables in proximity to industrial areas.