A multi-medium system, involving tailing area (tailings, surrounding soils and water) and downstream agricultural area (river water, sediments and farmland soils), was conceived to evaluate the pollution status of potential toxic elements (PTEs, including Fe, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sn, Pb, Cr and Cd) and environmental risks in a tin-polymetallic mine area southwest China. The results indicated that tailings exhibited representative enrichment and combination characteristics of Sn, Cu, Ni, Fe, As, Pb and Cr compared to surrounding soils. Acid mine drainage (AMD) from tailings and other mining-related sources greatly affected river water and farmland soils, resulting in soil acidification and accumulation of Sn, As, Cu and Pb in paddy soils. Overall, potential ecological risks posed by tailings and river sediments, and pollution risks from Cu, As and Pb in farmland should be concerned. Therefore, effective measures should be urgently taken to prevent PTEs and AMD into surrounding environmental media.

构想了一个涉及尾矿区（尾矿、周围土壤和水）和下游农业区（河水、沉积物和农田土壤）的多介质系统来评估潜在有毒元素（PTEs，包括 Fe、Mn、西南某锡多金属矿区的 Ni、Cu、Zn、As、Sn、Pb、Cr 和 Cd) 与环境风险. 结果表明，与周围土壤相比，尾矿表现出具有代表性的 Sn、Cu、Ni、Fe、As、Pb 和 Cr 的富集和组合特征。尾矿和其他采矿相关来源的酸性矿山排水 (AMD) 极大地影响了河水和农田土壤，导致土壤酸化和稻田土壤中 Sn、As、Cu 和 Pb 的积累。总体而言，尾矿和河流沉积物带来的潜在生态风险以及铜的污染风险，应关注农田中的As和Pb。因此，应紧急采取有效措施，防止 PTE 和 AMD 进入周围环境介质。