Chromium occurrences in arable soil and its influence on food production in China

The present study collected 464 peer-reviewed articles on chromium (Cr) concentrations throughout China from the published papers during 2005-2013, to evaluate the influence of Cr concentrations in arable soil on food production in China. The collected Cr concentrations in Chinese arable soil ranged from 0.05 to 3353.60 mg/kg, with a standard deviation of 140.82 mg/kg. The average Cr concentration was 78.94 mg/kg, significantly higher than its background concentration (57.30 mg/kg), indicating Cr has been introduced into soil by human activities. Generally, Cr concentrations varied greatly with some hotspots distributed throughout China. Based on the environment quality standard for soil in China (GB15618-1995), we evaluated the risk of Cr in arable soil on food production in China. Results showed that 0.13 % of arable land in China should be abandoned due to Cr pollution, and 1.26 % of arable land faced a high risk of Cr pollution. Furthermore, a greater percentage of paddy fields faced high risk from Cr pollution than dry lands.