Sediment record of heavy metals over the last 150 years in Northeast China: implications for regional anthropogenic activities

Abstract

Evidence from terrestrial sedimentary heavy metals record is a robust indicator of anthropogenic activity changes. Heavy metals and particle sizes in ²¹⁰Pb-dated sediment cores extracted from Hulun and Chagan lakes were measured to reconstruct the sediment record and evaluated health risk of heavy metals in the last 150 years in Northeast China. In general, the particle size of Hulun Lake was finer with more contents of clay than Chagan Lake, while the concentrations of most heavy metals in Hulun Lake was lower. Prior to the 1970s, significant positive correlations between most heavy metals and clay, indicating that that they were likely co-transported and both lakes were dominated by natural inputs. The two records showed significant increases in concentrations of heavy metals between 1970s and 1990s, which were associated with recent anthropogenic activities derived from principal component analysis of clay and heavy metals. Specifically, the exploitation of mineral resources and traffic source in the Hulun Lake, and the emissions of pesticides and fertilizers from agricultural activity, and the combustions of coal and fossil fuels from industrial activity in the Chagan Lake. Since 1990s, natural processes was the main source of heavy metals in Hulun Lake due to the environmental protection policy, while emissions of industrial, agricultural and domestic sewage were still the main source in Chagan Lake. Overall carcinogenic risks caused by single heavy metal elements determined for the two lakes were considered to be acceptable. However, Cr was associated with a risk for children across since 1970s which should be paid more attention.