The soil heavy metal pollution around the mine threatens crop growth and human health. Intensively studies of the distribution characteristics and source of soil heavy metals around some typical mines are very crucial for environmental management and green development of mine. A total of eighty-nine soil samples, twenty-one sediment samples, five waste rock samples and two tailing sand samples were sampled to investigate copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and mercury (Hg) in soil, sediment, waste rocks and tailings sand around Dexing Copper Mine, Jiangxi Province, China. The concentrations of the seven heavy metals were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry ICP-MS/atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (AFS). The I_geo values of soil heavy metal showed that 100% of Cu were at an unpolluted-to-moderately-polluted level (Igeo > 0), more than 50% of Cu were heavily polluted (Igeo > 3), 65.16%, and 22.47%, 7.86% and 7.87% of the soil samples for Cd, Hg, As and Zn were overly moderately polluted (Igeo > 1). A total of 13.48% and 11.24% of the soil samples for Pb and Cr, respectively, were moderately polluted (1 < Igeo < 2). The concentrations of heavy metals in soil were Compared with Risk Screening Values for Contamination of Agricultural Land (RSVCAL), with the concentration of 97.75% soil samples for Cu, and 69.21% of soil samples for Cd were higher than RSVCAL. In Dawu river basin the concentration of 50% soil samples for Pb were higher than RSVCAL. According to I_geo and RSVCAL, the soils around Dexing Copper Mine were polluted by heavy metals to some extent, with especially the Cu pollution of soil being the most serious. These heavy metal concentrations exceeding RSVCAL have threatened the safety of agricultural products. The results of soil profile analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) indicated that the mining activities of Dexing copper mine should be the main source of Cu in the soil. High As concentration in soil obviously caused by the copper mine as well. In addition, Dexing Copper Mine should partly account for soil pollution by Zn, Pb, Cd, Hg and Cr around the mine.

The Luanchuan ore concentration area is rich in mineral resources and has a long history of mining. The environmental impact of long-term mining activities cannot be ignored. It is of great significance to study the ecological risk and the accumulation trends of heavy metals in the soil of mining areas for scientific prevention and control of heavy metal pollution. Taking the Taowanbeigou River basin in the ore concentration area as the research object, the ecological pollution risk and cumulative effect of heavy metals in the soil of the basin were studied by using the comprehensive pollution index method, potential ecological risk assessment method and geoaccumulation index method. On this basis, the cumulative exceeding years of specific heavy metals were predicted by using the cumulative early warning model. The comprehensive potential ecological risk of heavy metals in the soil near the Luanchuan mine concentration area is moderate, and the single element Cd is the main ecological risk factor, with a contribution rate of 53.6%.

During mining, some of the essential metal(loid)s for plants or humans are discharged into the environment with non-essential metal(loid)s. Thus, comprehensive investigations of their distribution and the health risk of consuming food crops near mines are significant. A total of 26 soils and 25 food crops (soybean grains and wheat grains) were sampled to investigate arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), molybdenum (Mo), and manganese (Mn) in soils and crops in a typical non-ferrous metal mine area in Northeast China. The distribution patterns of soil heavy metal(loid)s and principal component analysis (PCA) results indicated that Cd, Cu, Zn, Mo, and Mn in soils were significantly affected by mining activities and were mainly or partly derived from the mines. Moreover, these soil heavy metal(loid)s (except Se) in the Tongshan copper mine area were attenuated with distance in the downstream direction. The BCF (bioconcentration factor) values of non-essential elements (Se, Hg, Cr, As, Cd, Pb) were relatively lower and positively related to soil nutrients. On the contrary, higher BCF values of essential elements (Cu, Zn, and Mo) and a weak relationship between the BCF of essential elements and soil nutrients were found. The mean I_geo values of soil heavy metal(loid)s indicated that As and Cu were at an unpolluted-to-moderately-polluted level (I_geo > 1), while other heavy metal(loid)s all presented an unpolluted level (I_geo < 1). Nevertheless, some soil samples were obviously polluted (I_geo > 1), such as KQ, D1, D3, D5, D6, and T1. The HQ (hazard quotient) and HI (hazard index) values of As and Mn both exceeded 1, indicating the higher potential health risks of consuming soybean grains and wheat grains for all people groups.