Distribution of trace element contamination in sediments and riverine agricultural soils of the Zhongxin River, South China, and evaluation of local plants for biomonitoring

Contents of trace elements (Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn and Ni) in sediments of river bed and bankside and adjacent agricultural soils along the Zhongxin River, Guangdong, China, were determined to investigate the metal distribution and assess ecological risk of trace element contamination. The results show that Cd and Zn are the two major metal elements contaminating the sediments and riverine farmlands. Geo-accumulation index (I-geo) also revealed that the river sediments were polluted by Cd at levels from moderate to extreme, and by Zn at levels from moderate to high in most cases. Agricultural soils were generally moderately or highly polluted by Cd, and were unpolluted by Zn in most cases. The trace element contents of the river sediments in the upper and middle reaches of the river were much higher than in the downstream reaches. Agricultural soils in site S3 at Zhongxin Town had the highest amount of all the tested trace elements. Although the contents of the trace elements generally decreased from the upper and middle reaches to the downstream river, there was no obvious trend found for agricultural soils. The trace element contents were less influenced by pH and TOC in the sediments as well as in the soils. Storage in river alluvium and dilution by downstream clean sediments were the main mechanisms responsible for the decrease of the metal contents in the river sediments. The linear fit model depicts the risk of transportation of polluted sediments to Xinfengjiang Reservoir, the largest protection zone for sources of drinking water in Guangdong Province. Torpedo grass and rice plant showed the potential to be used in biomonitoring of metal contamination, however, further investigations are needed before using them in practice.