In China, greenhouse agriculture, which provides abundant vegetable products for human consumption, has been rapidly developed in recent decades. Heavy metal accumulation in greenhouse soil and products obtained have received increasing attention. Therefore, the availability and accumulation of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) and their association with soil pH, soil organic matter (SOM), inorganic nitrogen (IN), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP), and planting year (PY) in greenhouse soils were analyzed. The results showed that the mean concentrations of available Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn were 17.25 μg/kg, 2.89, 0.18, 0.36, and 5.33 mg/kg, respectively, while their suggested levels in China are 0.6, 100, 100, 120, and 250 mg/kg. Cd, Cu, and Zn might be mainly originated from fertilizer application. A lower soil pH significantly increased the available Cu, Ni, and Zn concentrations and reduced Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn accumulation. A higher AP significantly increased the proportions of available Cu, Ni, and Zn and elevated Cd, Cu, and Zn accumulation. There was a strong positive correlation between Cd, Pb, and Zn availability and TN, while IN was negatively related to the availability and accumulation of Cu and Zn. It was concluded that chemical fertilizer application increased the availability of Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn and the accumulation of Cd, Cu, and Zn. Manure application clearly elevated the accumulation and availability of Cd and Zn in greenhouse soil.

Selenium (Se) is essential for humans, with many critical roles in physiological and pathophysiological processes. Fish, eggs and meats are usually the rich food sources of Se. To improve the nutritional status of population, a new version of balanced dietary pattern in the form of the Chinese Food Pagoda (2016) was proclaimed. This study aimed to evaluate the contribution of this balanced dietary pattern to daily Se intake, and to assess Se intake status of Chinese residents under this Food Pagoda scenario. Based on the food consumption recommended in the Food Pagoda, this study collected the data of Se contents in various food composites and estimated dietary Se intakes (EITDS) in 12 provinces from the 4th China Total Diet Study. The estimated Se intakes based on the Chinese Food Pagoda (EICHFP) in 12 provinces were calculated. EITDS and EICHFP in various food groups among different regions were compared. The average EICHFP in all regions, within the range of 66.23–145.20 μg/day, was greater than the China recommended nutrient intake (RNI) (60 μg/day). None of the highest EICHFP went beyond the tolerable upper intake level of Se (400 μg/day). Animal source foods should be the primary source of daily Se intake according to the EICHFP. The average EITDS in China (88 μg/day) was in line with its range of EICHFP (81.01–124.25 μg/day), but that in half of the regions failed to achieve their lowest EICHFP. Significant differences between EITDS and EICHFP were observed in cereal food, aquatic and dairy products (P < 0.05), among which Se intake from aquatic and dairy products presented seriously insufficient in almost all regions. The ideal dietary pattern recommended in the Food Pagoda can meet the daily requirements of Chinese population for Se intake to maintain optimal health. From the perspective of the balanced diet and Se-rich sources, the consumption of aquatic products should be increased appropriately to improve the general Se intake level of Chinese population.

At present, natural disaster coping capabilities are quantitively represented as high, moderate, or low. These classifications, which are described as the results of relative grades, have failed to reveal the specific grades of disaster coping capacity. Therefore, an assessment method of natural disaster coping capacity, which is attempted to quantify the natural disaster coping capacity as disaster grades, was proposed in this study. First, an indicator system consisting of disaster reduction ability index, disaster resilience ability index, and disaster relief ability index was established. The index values were defined as disaster grades according to the historical disaster-related data and information on the equipment and infrastructure for disaster prevention. Second, the weights assigned to these indicators were assessed by using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Then, the back propagation (BP) neural network was used to examine the indicator weights. Finally, the disaster coping capacity was estimated by using the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model. The assessment result was characterized as disaster grade. Cangnan county was chosen as a case study for the assessment of typhoon coping capacity by the proposed method. The results showed that the coping capacity of the county was prepared to deal with 12–13 intensity grades of typhoon. The assessment carried out using the proposed method accurately reflected the typhoon coping capacity of Cangnan. Moreover, the index values of disaster reduction ability, disaster resilience, and disaster relief ability revealed the advantages and limitations of typhoon coping capacity. This suggests that natural disaster coping capacity can be quantitatively assessed by the proposed method.

More than 0.3 million individuals are subject to chronic exposure to arsenic via their drinking water in Inner Mongolia, China. To determine arsenic methylation capacity profiles for such individuals, concentrations of urinary arsenic metabolites were measured for 548 subjects using high-performance liquid chromatography and a hydride generator combined with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Mean urinary concentrations of dimethylarsonic acid (DMA), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), inorganic arsenic (iAs), and total arsenic (TAs) were 200.50, 46.71, 52.96, and 300.17 μg/L, respectively. The %iAs, %DMA, and %MMA were 15.98, 69.72, and 14.29 %. Mean urinary %iAs and %MMA were higher in males, while urinary %DMA was higher in females. There was a strong positive correlation between %iAs and %MMA, with negative correlations between %iAs and %DMA, and %iAs and %MMA. In addition, %iAs and %MMA were positively associated with total arsenic in drinking water (WAs), while %DMA was negatively related with WAs. Regression analysis indicated that the primary methylation index (PMI) and secondary methylation index (SMI) generally decreased with increasing WAs. Females had a higher arsenic methylation capacity compared to males. Younger subjects had lower primary arsenic methylation capacity. However, the secondary arsenic methylation capacity was hardly affected by age. Moreover, both primary and secondary arsenic methylation capacities were negatively related to WAs.