Human Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soil around a Typical Mining Area in Anhui Province

To clarify heavy metal pollution levels and human health risks around a typical metal mining area in Anhui Province, soil samples were collected from a metal mining area in Tongling. The contents of ten heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Fe and Zn) were determined, and the health risk assessment model developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency was used to evaluate the health risk of the soil. The distribution patterns of the ten heavy metals in the study area were positively skewed; the distribution characteristics of Cr and Ni were mainly affected by the soil-forming parent material, while those of the other eight heavy metals were mainly affected by human activities. The hand-mouth route was the primary exposure to human health risks, and the risk of non-carcinogenicity and carcinogenicity in children was greater than that in adults. As, Cr, Pb, and Mn were the main contributors to the non-carcinogenic risk, while As and Cd were the main contributors to the carcinogenic risk. The spatial distribution of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks in the study area was roughly similar, and there were different degrees of high risk levels; the high-risk areas were mainly distributed in the central and western parts of the study area, indicating non-point source distribution. It is necessary to take effective measures to implement zoning control of heavy metal pollution in mining areas to reduce the health risk level to nearby populations, especially children.