Heavy metal pollution in soil poses a serious health threat to humans living in close proximity and in contact with contaminated soil. Exposure to heavy metals can result in a range of adverse health effects, including skin lesions, cardiovascular effects, lowering of IQ scores and cancers. The main objectives of this study were to (1) use a portable XRF spectrophotometer to measure concentrations of lead (Pb), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg) and cadmium (Cd) in residential soils in rural Giyani in the Limpopo province of South Africa; (2) to assess the spatial distribution of soil metal concentrations; and (3) to assess pollution levels in residential soils. There were elevated levels of As at one of the sites where 54% of soil samples exceeded the Canadian reference levels for As of 20 mg/kg. Using the geoaccumulation index (I_geo) to determine contamination levels of As, 57% of soil samples from the most polluted site were found to be moderately to heavily and extremely contaminated with As (I_geo class 2–5). The site is located near the Giyani Greenstone Belt, which is characterized by abandoned mines and artisanal mining activities. Gold ores are closely associated with sulphide minerals such as arsenopyrite, and these have been found to contain high amounts of As. This study highlighted the potential for soil contamination and the importance of site-specific risk assessment in the context of environment and health impact assessments prior to major developments, including human settlement developments.

土壤中的重金属污染对生活在附近并与受污染土壤接触的人类构成了严重的健康威胁。暴露于重金属会导致一系列不利的健康影响，包括皮肤损害，心血管疾病，智商降低和癌症。这项研究的主要目的是（1）使用便携式XRF分光光度计来测量Limpopo省Giyani农村居民土壤中铅（Pb），砷（As），汞（Hg）和镉（Cd）的浓度。南非; （2）评估土壤金属浓度的空间分布；（3）评估居民土壤的污染水平。在其中54％的土壤样品超过20 mg / kg的加拿大参考水平的地点之一，As的水平升高。使用地积累指数（我_地理），以确定作为污染水平，从最污染场地土壤样本的57％，被认为是适度与作为（重度和极污染我_地理2-5级）。该地点位于Giyani绿岩带附近，该区以废弃的矿山和手工采矿活动为特征。金矿石与硫化矿物（如毒砂）密切相关，并且发现其中含有大量的砷。这项研究强调了在包括人类住区发展在内的重大发展之前，在环境和健康影响评估的背景下，土壤污染的潜力以及针对特定地点的风险评估的重要性。