Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com

Journal of Geochemical Exploration 96 (2008) 223 230

www.elsevier.com/locate/jgeoexp

Heavy metal contamination and health risk assessment in the vicinity

of the abandoned Songcheon AuAg mine in Korea
Hye-Sook Lim a , Jin-Soo Lee b , Hyo-Taek Chon a,, Manfred Sager c
a
School of Civil, Urban and Geosystem Engineering, College of Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744, South Korea
b
Technology Research Center, Mine Reclamation Corporation, Seoul 110-727, Korea
c
Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety and Federal Office for Food Safety, Vienna, Austria
Received 6 August 2006; accepted 20 April 2007
Available online 6 June 2007

Abstract

The objective of this study is, firstly, to investigate the contamination levels and dispersion patterns of As and heavy metals,
secondly, to estimate the bioaccessible fraction of the metals in soil and crop plant and, finally, to assess the risk of health effects on
the residence in the vicinity of the abandoned Songcheon AuAg mine, Korea. Samples of tailing, soil, crop plant and water were
collected around the mine site. After appropriate preparation, all samples were analyzed for As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn by ICP-AES
and ICP-MS. Elevated levels of As and heavy metals were found in tailing. Mean concentrations of As in agricultural soil were
higher than the permissible level. Especially, maximum levels of As and Hg in farmland soil were up to 626 mg/kg and 4.9 mg/kg,
respectively. The highest levels in crop plant were 33 mg As/kg and 3.8 mg Pb/kg (in green onion root), 0.87 mg Cd/kg and
226 mg Zn/kg (in lettuce root), 16.3 mg Cu/kg (in sesame leaves). The concentration of heavy metals in leaves is much higher than
those in grains and stalk. Vegetables grown on the contaminated soil were rich in As and heavy metals. Concentrations of As, Cd,
and Zn in most stream waters which are used for drinking water around the mine area were higher than the permissible levels
regulated in Korea. Maximum levels of As, Cd and Zn in stream waters were 0.71 mg/L, 0.19 mg/L and 5.4 mg/L, respectively.
These results indicate that mine tailings can be the main contamination sources of As and heavy metals in the soilwater system of
the mine site. The average of estimated human-bioaccessible fraction in soil in simulated stomach was 3% As, 40% Cd, 15% Cu,
31% Pb and 21% Zn, and that in simulated small intestine 12% As, 2.2% Cd, 5.6% Cu, 0.5% Pb and 1.2% Zn. The highest value of
human-bioaccessible fraction of metal in farmland soil was 85% for Cd. The estimated human-bioaccessible fraction of plant was
up to 97% for Cd in simulated stomach, and to 51% for Pb in simulated small intestine. The highest human-bioaccessible fractions
were found in Chinese cabbage (in stomach) and potato leaves (in small intestine). The average human-bioaccessible fraction in
plants were 47% As, 70% Cd, 62% Cu, 0% Pb and 62% Zn in simulated stomach and 22% As, 7% Cd, 27% Cu, 9% Pb and
23% Zn in simulated small intestine. The HQ (hazard quotient) value of the mine site was 16, and especially, the HI (hazard index)
value of only As was 15. The carcinogenic risk of the mine site was 2.7E03. This value means the probable possibility that about
3 cancer patients among 1000 people happen. Carcinogenic risk exceeded in the generally accepted range of E04 to E06.
2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

Mining is one of the most important sources of heavy

Corresponding author. metals in the environment. Mining and milling operation
E-mail address: chon@snu.ac.kr (H.-T. Chon). together with grinding, concentrating ores and disposal
0375-6742/$ - see front matter 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.gexplo.2007.04.008
224 H.-S. Lim et al. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 96 (2008) 223230
of tailings, along with mine and mill waste water,
provide obvious sources of contamination (Adriano,
2001). Heavy metal contamination has been one of
serious problems in the vicinity of abandoned mine sites.
These heavy metals have a potential to contaminate soil
and water. They can be dispersed and accumulated in
plants and animals, and taken in by human beings as
consumer. Human health risk assessment has been used
to determine if exposure to a chemical, at any dose, could
cause an increase in the incidence of adverse effect to
human health (Wcislo et al., 2002).
The potential toxicity of contaminants is strongly
determined by the speciation of the elements involved.
In risk assessment, oral exposures are typically stated in
terms of the external dose or intake, instead of in terms
of absorbed dose or uptake. Intake is typically defined as
the process by which an agent crosses the outer
exposure surface of a human without passing an
absorption barrier, while uptake is the process by
which an agent crosses an absorption barrier into
human or animal. Bioavailability of a compound can
be defined as the fraction of an administered dose that
reaches the central (blood) compartment, whether
through the gastrointestinal track, skin or lung. Bioac-
cessibility is the fraction of a chemical in an environ-
mental medium that is available for absorption based on
in vitro extraction but not necessarily absorbed. The
term bioaccessible will be used to indicate the in vitro
fraction of the chemical intake that is directly available
for absorption. Therefore, bioaccessible metal concen-
trations are more important for risk assessment than total
metal contents in the environment.
The purposes of this study are (1) to investigate the
contamination levels and dispersion patterns of As and
heavy metals, (2) to assess the risk of health effects on
the residents around the mine site, and (3) to estimate the
bioaccessible fraction of the As and heavy metals from
soils and plants in the vicinity of the abandoned
Songcheon AuAg mine.
2. Materials and method
2.1. Study area
The Songcheon goldsilver mine is located in
Samsan-ri, Yeongok-myeon, Gangneung-si of eastern
harbor city of South Korea. The deposits of this mine are
classified as hydrothermal AuAg bearing quartz veins
and the main geology is composed of Precambrian felsic
gneiss. Sulfide minerals consist of arsenopyrite, pyrite,
galena and sphalerite. It was an active mine from 1939
to 1977. The production of the mine was reported
101 kg Au and 925 kg Ag in 1943. The reported total
outputs were 208 kg of gold and 1606 kg of silver.
Approximately 50% of the products were recovered
during the first 10 years of the operation.
The mining and smelting ceased in 1970s and, upon
closure, large amounts of mine wastes were left behind
without any proper environmental safeguards. The
unprotected mining wastes have been dispersed down
the slope by wind and water as a point source pollution
of the vicinity of this mine. Because there is no facility
providing the public water supply around the mine area,
the stream waters nearby the mine tailings are the source
of drinking water for the inhabitants.
2.2. Sampling and chemical analysis
The sampling area was divided into two parts by the
topographical factors and pollution source, namely,
study area and control area. The control area was chosen
to the opposite site of the mountain where the mine is
located. Tailing, soil and water samples were collected
during three different seasons (October of 2002, and
March and May of 2003). Plant samples were collected
during two seasons (October of 2002 and May of 2003).
The sampling location map is represented in Fig. 1. The
length of the stream in the sampling location map was
about 4.5 km.
Tailing and soil samples were dried at room temper-
ature and sieved to 80 mesh (b180 m). 21 mL of
concentrated HCl and 7 mL of concentrated HNO3 were
added to 2 g of tailing or soil samples, and mixed. The
samples were then heated at 60 C for 30 min, and
subsequently at 140 C for 90 min. After cooling and
filtration, the solutions were diluted to 100 mL with
distilled water. All samples were analyzed for As, Cd, Cu,
Pb and Zn as well as for major elements by ICP-AES.
Mercury was determined by cold vapor AAS, and
confirmed by standard addition to the sample solution.
Crop plant samples were washed thoroughly with
distilled water, dried at room temperature, and milled.
For the total digestion of the plant samples, 16 mL of
concentrated HNO3 and 4 mL of HClO4 were added to
1 g of dry plant sample. The mixtures were heated at
80 C and up to 150 C gradually with frequent shaking
until no more brown nitrous oxide gases were evolved,
then increased 170 C until the solutions were almost
dry. After cooling, 25 mL of distilled water was added.
Solution was facilitated by ultrasonic treatment fol-
lowed by filtering. The solutions were analyzed for As,
Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn by ICP-AES.
Groundwater and stream water samples were taken
along the stream at the mine area. Water samples
 H.-S. Lim et al. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 96 (2008) 223230
Fig. 1. The Sampling location map of the Songcheon Au-Ag mine area.
collected for cation determination were filtered through
a 0.45 m cellulose nitrate membrane filter (4.5 cm
diameter) using a hand pump, and were immediately
acidified in the field to pH b2.0 by adding HNO3. The
trace ions such as As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were analyzed
by ICP-AES and ICP-MS.
All chemical analytical results of this study were
performed by quality control system, which includes
reagent blanks, replicate samples and certified interna-
tional reference materials (HRM1 and HRM2 for soils
and tailings, HRM12 and HRM14 for plants) (Ramsey
et al., 1987). The precision and bias of chemical analysis
were less than 10%, respectively.
2.3. EHS (Extraction of heavy metals in stomach and
small intestine) test for bioaccessibility
The total amount of hazardous substances in soils or
crop plants cannot be absorbed into human body. The
concentrations of substances in soil and plant from total
extraction are the levels of soil and plant themselves.
Even though the first step of sequential extraction test is
exchangeable form and can indicate bioavailable
fraction, it is less proper for estimating the absorbed
amounts into human body than extracted concentration
from the test to simulate the conditions of stomach and
225
small intestine. Bioaccessible fraction may be useful for
assessing exposure amount rather than total amount or
bioavailable fraction. Thus EHS test, which is modified
from a model for feed evaluation based on in vitro
digestible dry matter and protein (Fuller, 1991), was
suggested for defining the bioaccessibility in this study.
In the EHS test, simulation of the actions and
conditions in the human stomach and small intestine
was performed to determine the bioaccessible fraction.
The simulation consists of 2-step extraction tests for 1 g of
80 mesh soil; 1 mL pepsin solution was added as
enzyme with 19 mL acidic buffer (pH 1.5) at first step
(simulation of environment in stomach), and 1 mL
pancreatin solution with 19 mL alkaline buffer (pH 8) at
second step (simulation of environment in small intes-
tine). The soil samples were mixed with the solution and
shaken in waterbath at 100 rpm. The temperature of
waterbath was maintained at 37 C during the reaction
time. For the first and second steps, the reaction was
continued for 2 hours and overnight, respectively. The
reactions were done without any light input. After the first
step, the samples were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 30 min
to minimize any loss of the solid through the successive
extraction steps. When the supernatant was separated
from the solid phase, it was then removed by a clean and
dry pipette into a polypropylene vessel. Care was taken to
226 H.-S. Lim et al. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 96 (2008) 223230

avoid removal of any of the solid residue. Prior to ICP- Table 2

AES determination, the alkaline extracts were acidified Input parameters to characterize the ADD value
with nitric acid. Matrix matched calibrants were used. Parameters Description Unit Value
C Contamination concentration mg/kg
2.4. Risk assessment in media
IR Ingestion rate per unit time
Soil mg/day 450
Risk assessment is defined as the processes of
Plant g/day 90
estimating the probability of occurrence of an event and Water L/day 1.5
the probable magnitude of adverse health effects over a EF Exposure frequency days/years 350
specified time period (Kolluru et al., 1996). Human health ED Exposure duration years 15
risk assessment consists of four stages, (1) hazard BW Body weight kg 66.3
AT Average time days 30/70 365
identification (2) toxicity (dose-response) assessment (3)
SA Surface area m2 1.6
exposure assessment, and (4) risk characterization. AF Adherence factor L/m2/day 37.5
The purpose of hazard identification is to identify ABS Absorption factor 0.01
chemical substances which can affect a harmful effect in CF Conversion factor E06
human body. A hazard is a source of risk but not a risk
itself. The concern of chemicals (COCs) was selected by contact is supposed by average daily dose (ADD). The
a risk assessor in this stage. ADD value means quantity of chemical substance
The purpose of toxic assessment is to estimate the ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin per
potential for selected chemical substances to cause kilogram of body weight per day (mg/kg/day). The value
harmful effect in exposed people and to provide an of ADD could be used to assess the possible entry of As
estimate of the relationship between the extent of and heavy metals into human body. The parameters in
exposure and the increased likelihood of harmful ADD formulas are presented in Table 2. The formulas are
effects. The two principal toxicity indices are known as follows;
as slope factor (SF), and reference dose (RfD). The SF is
a conservative estimate of the incremental probability of Ingestion
an individual developing cancer as a result of exposure
C  CF  IR  ED  EF
over a lifetime, and RfD is the estimated amount of the ADDi
daily exposure level for the population that is likely to BW  AT
be without an appreciable risk of deleterious effects
during a lifetime. The toxicity indices of elements are Dermal contact
presented in Table 1. The values were derived from US
C  SA  AF  ABS  ED  EF
EPA and exposure risk assessment decision support ADDd
BW  AT
system (DSS) developed by the API (American
Petroleum Institute). Risk characterization is the final stage of risk
The aims of exposure assessment are identification of assessment. The objective of this stage is to calculate
potential receptor, evaluation of exposure routes and the risk. The results of toxicity and exposure assessment
pathways, and quantification of exposure. The estima- are integrated to arrive at quantitative estimates of
tion of intake (dose) in human body through contaminant cancer risk and hazard indices. Carcinogenic risk is the
probability of an individual developing any type of
Table 1 cancer from lifetime exposure to carcinogenic hazards.
Toxicity indices of elements The acceptable or tolerable risk for regulatory purposes
Element SF [(mg/kg/day)1] RfD [mg/kg/day] is in the range of 106 to 104. These values mean from
one additional case in a population of 1 million to one in
Oral Dermal Oral Dermal
10,000 people is acceptable. Carcinogenic risk can be
As a 1.5 1.5 3.00E04 3.00E04
estimated with a linear equation as follows:
Cda n.d. n.d. 0.005 (water)/ 5.00E04
0.001 (food) Cancer risk average daily dose mg=kg=day
Cu b n.d. n.d. 0.037 0.037
Hgb n.d. n.d. 3.00E04 3.00E04  slope factor mg=kg=day1 
n.d. = Not determined.
a
Data from US EPA (1991,1992). The potential for non-carcinogenic agents to occur is
b
Data from API (1998). assessed by comparing exposure or average intake of
 H.-S. Lim et al. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 96 (2008) 223230 227

Table 3
Concentration of As and heavy metals in tailing, soil and sediments (mg/kg)
Elements T (n = 5) MS FS SS CS World's
(n = 6) (n = 21) (n = 3) (n = 2) normal soil a
As Range 3584143,813 6953082 7626 3243 1926 6
Mean 51,414 1910 175 36 22.2
Cd Range 2.220 0.61.8 0.21.4 0.30.5 0.10.1 0.35
Mean 9.40 1.32 0.75 0.42 0.14
Cu Range 30749 3689 13673 1680 3036 30
Mean 385 67.0 80 40 33
Pb Range 12550,803 63428 23290 1455 2638 35
Mean 20,323 291 95 32 32
Zn Range 5807541 115795 83399 63110 9496 90
Mean 3059 477 185 86 95.0
Hg Range 0.091.01 0.190.55 0.094.90 0.020.26 0.020.05 0.06
Mean 0.45 0.39 1.12 0.10 0.03
n = number of samples;
a
Bowen (1979).

hazardous substances with corresponding reference
dose (RfD). Non-cancer risk is represented in terms of
hazard quotient (HQ) for a single substance or hazard
index (HI) for multiple substances and/or exposure
pathways. If the exposure level of a substance exceeds
the corresponding RfD , i.e., HQ exceeds 1, there may
be concern for potential non-carcinogenic effects.
HQ hazard quotient
ADD or exposure; intake=RfD reference dose
X concentration of typical Korean plants, most of crop
HI Hazard indices HQ
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Heavy metal contamination of tailing, soil and
sediment
Elevated levels of 143,813 mg As/kg, 20 mg Cd/kg,
749 mg Cu/kg, 50,803 mg Pb/kg, 7,541 mg Zn/kg and
1.01 mg Hg/kg were found in tailing from the Songcheon
AuAg mine (Table 3). These levels in tailing are
significantly higher than world average values in
uncontaminated soil reported by Bowen (1979). Espe-
cially, maximum levels of As and Hg in farmland soil
were up to 626 mg/kg and 4.9 mg/kg, respectively. Also,
Hg concentration in soil samples appeared highest in
farmland soil.
The tailing was considered as a point contamination
source of As and heavy metals in the mine area.
Elevated levels of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were found in
farmland soil due to dispersion of the metals from the
tailing by clastic movement through wind and water.
The concentration of As and heavy metals decreased
according to distance from tailing site (possible point
source). These contaminated soil can influence the metal
uptake by plants grown on farmland soil.
3.2. Heavy metal contamination of crop plant and water
The highest levels in crop plant were 33 mg As/kg
and 3.8 mg Pb/kg (in green onion root), 0.87 mg Cd/kg
and 226 mg Zn/kg(in lettuce root), 16.3 mg Cu/kg(in
sesame leaves) (Table 4). When compared with
plant were highly contaminated by As and Zn. The
elevated levels of As, Cd, Pb and Zn were found in root
part of plant. Arsenic and heavy metals were highly
enriched in crop plant grown on contaminated soil.
The total concentrations of As and heavy metals in
water are presented in Table 5. When compared with the
permissible level of drinking water standard regulated
by the Korea Ministry of Environment (2003), the levels
of As, Cd and Zn are higher than the permissible level.
However, Cu and Pb are not so high.
3.3. Result of risk assessment
The calculated health risk for residents is presented in
Table 6. Farmland soil, Chinese cabbage and drinking
water were supposed to be an exposure route of As and
heavy metals to human body in risk assessment. The
highest value of ADD was 4.4E03 for As. The largest
exposure route for As and heavy metals was the
ingestion of plant (Chinese cabbage). The concentration
of As and heavy metals in Chinese cabbage was lower
than those in soil. However, the ingestion amount of
Chinese cabbage was larger than that of soil.
228 H.-S. Lim et al. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 96 (2008) 223230

Table 4
Arsenic and heave metals in crop plant (mg/kg)
Elements As Cd Cu Pb Zn
Sesame (leaves) (n = 2) Range 0.151.64 0.050.08 10.916.3 1.22.0 6391
Mean 0.90 0.07 14 1.6 77
Red pepper (n = 2) Range 0.390.42 0.050.06 5.05.9 0.120.14 1431
Mean 0.29 0.06 5.5 0.13 23
Red pepper (leaves) (n = 1) Value 2.3 0.48 4.1 1.8 110
Soyabean (grain) (n = 1) Value 0.05 0.02 5.0 0.08 30
Soyabean (shell) (n = 1) Mean 0.98 0.06 3.1 0.19 41
Radish (leaves)(n = 2) Range 1.902.35 0.180.27 4.54.6 0.821.5 87139
Mean 2.1 0.23 4.6 1.2 113
Chinese cabbage (leaves) (n = 2) Range 1.653.20 0.170.19 4.65.2 0.891.7 105143
Mean 2.4 0.18 4.9 1.3 124
Green onion (leaves) (n = 2) Value 4.7 0.7 3.0 0.8 224
Green onion (root) (n = 1) Value 33 0.47 7.1 3.8 65
Lettuce (leaves) (n = 1) Value 2.2 0.39 5.6 1.3 47
Lettuce (root) (n = 1) Value 7.4 0.87 4.4 1.6 226
Potato (leaves)(n = 5) Range 1.21.9 0.21.0 7.913 0.60.9 3060
Mean 1.5 0.5 11 0.7 46
Potato(stalk)(n = 5) Range 1.53.0 0.20.1 3.48.5 0.81.7 95171
Mean 2.2 0.6 6.4 1.3 128
Angelica (leaves) (n = 1) Value 0.94 0.09 5.2 1.3 36
Groundsel (leaves) (n = 1) Value 1.0 0.13 11 1.7 45
Normal value a 11.7 0.050.2 5.030.0 5.010.0 27150
Normal plant in Korea b 0.09 0.10.1 10.0 0.15.0 10100
n = Number of samples.
a
Kabata-Pendias and Pendias (1984).
b
Jung (1995).

The value of non-carcinogenic risk, toxic risk (HI),
was 16. The value of toxic risk of only As was 15, which
covers 94% of the total toxic risk (=16) from the study
area. Therefore, As was considered as a major toxic
chemical substance to human health in this mine area,
and the daily intake or contact of soil, crop plant and
water by the local residents can pose a potential health
threat due to long-term arsenic exposure. Carcinogenic
risk is 2.7E03. This value indicates the possibility that
about 3 cancer patients among 1000 people occur. For
these results, the residents in the mine site need
regulatory concern.
3.4. Bioaccessibility of metals in soil and plant
Bioaccessible fractions of As and heavy metals
extracted by the first step of EHS test for tailing, soil and
stream sediment are shown in Table 7. In the simulated
gastric environment, the highest concentration of As and
heavy metals were found in tailing. The maximum
extracted concentration of As and heavy metals in
tailing were 343 mg As/kg, 1.8 mg Cd/kg, 24 mg Cu/kg,
2318 mg Pb/kg and 344 mg Zn/kg, respectively.
However, the bioaccessible proportion percentage of
metals, represented by the leaching ratio compared with

Table 5
As and heavy metal concentration in water ( g/L)
Elements As Cd Cu Pb Zn
Drinking water (n = 28) Range 0709 0.004191 0.7117 0.145.41 2.45400
Mean 135 27 3.6 1.07 717
Stream water (n = 13) Range 0.5234 0.010.08 0.832.5 0.160.64 2.448
Mean 11 0.04 1.6 0.41 12
Control area water (n = 2) Range 0.1713 0.0050.03 1.64.4 0.20.5 2.766
Mean 0.74 0.02 3 0.3 34
Permissible levels a 50 10 1000 50 1000
n = Number of samples.
a
Permissible level: for drinking water standard of Korean Ministry of Environment (2003).
 H.-S. Lim et al. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 96 (2008) 223230 229

Table 6
Health risk for residents in the vicinity of mine site

the total concentration, from the tailing was lower than
that of mountain and farmland soil. The highest
bioaccessible proportion percentage of 6% As, 26%
Cu, 42% Pb and 40% Zn appear in mountain soil. In
comparison of sample type, the average value of
extractable proportion percentage decreased in the
order of mountain soil (33%) N farmland soil (22%) N
tailing (19%) = control area soil (19%) N stream sediment
(17%), and for elements, in the order of Cd (40%) N Pb
(31%) N Zn (21%) N Cu (15%) N As (3%). The highest
extracted concentration of As and heavy metals
extracted in the simulated gastric environment were
1 mg As/kg and 104 mg Zn/kg in Chinese cabbage,
0.41 mg Cd/kg in red pepper leaves and 14 mg Cu/kg in
sesame leaves. In the case of lead, Pb was completely
not extractable in the first step.
For the extracted amount of As and heavy metals in
the simulated small intestinal environment, the largest
amounts were also found in tailing. The highest
extracted concentration of As and heavy metals in
tailings were 651 mg As/kg, 1.0 mg Cd/kg, 9 mg Cu/kg,
7 mg Pb/kg and 4 mg Zn/kg, respectively. In comparison
of sample type, the mean of leachable proportion
percentage in simulated small intestine decreased in
the order of stream sediment (6.3%) N farmland soil
(5.7%) N mountain soil(4.6%) N tailing (3.0%) N control
area soil (1.8%) and for elements, in the order of As
(12%) N Cu (5.6%) N Cd (2.2%) N Zn (1.2%) N Pb (0.5%).
The maximum amount of As and heavy metals in crop
plants extracted in the simulated small intestinal
environment were 1.9 mg As/kg in green onion leaves,
0.14 mg Cd/kg and 5.2 g Cu/kg in potato leaves,
1.31 mg Pb/kg and 30 mg Zn/kg in Chinese cabbage.
4. Conclusion
(1) Contamination levels of As and heavy metals in
tailing from the Songcheon AuAg mine were
143,813 mg As/kg, 20 mg Cd/kg, 749 mg Cu/ kg,
50,803 mg Pb/kg, 7,541 mg Zn/kg and 1.01 mg
Hg/kg, and those in farmland soil were 626 mg
As/kg, 1.4 mg Cd/kg, 673 mg Cu/kg, 2 mg Pb/kg,
399 mg Zn/kg and 4.90 mg Hg/kg. The tailing was
considered as a point contamination source of As
and heavy metals in the mine area.
(2) Crop plants grown on farmland soil were rich in
As and heavy metals. Maximum level of As was
33 mg/kg in green onion root.
(3) The levels of As, Cd and Zn in drinking water
were higher than the permissible level standard

Table 7
Concentrations of As and heavy metals in soil extracted in the simulated stomach (mg/kg)
Elements T (n = 5) MS (n = 6) FS (n = 21) SS (n = 3) CS (n = 2)
As Range 551118 6.0216 0.339 0.71.0 0.390.41
Mean 343 122 7 1 0.4
Cd Range 0.25.0 0.11.4 0.10.8 0.020.06 0.050.12
Mean 1.80 0.78 0.32 0.04 0.09
Cu Range 1443 3.535 0.9280 2.67.4 1.11.5
Mean 24 19.0 19.0 5.0 1.3
Pd Range 306453 21169 582 7.014 7.27.6
Mean 2318 126 27.00 11 7.4
Zn Range 73829 5.0479 7.6143 11.014.0 1.72.7
Mean 344 234 43 12 2.2
n = number of samples T = tailing; MS = mountain soil; FS = farmland soil; SS = stream sediment; CS = control area soil.
230 H.-S. Lim et al. / Journal of Geochemical Exploration 96 (2008) 223230
regulated in Korea. Maximum levels of As, Cd
and Zn in stream water were 0.71 mg/L, 0.19 mg/
L and 5.4 mg/L, respectively.
(4) The mean value of estimated bioaccessibile fraction
in soil in simulated stomach was 3% As, 40% Cd,
15% Cu, 31% Pb and 21% Zn, and that in simulated
small intestine was 12% As, 2.2% Cd, 5.6% Cu,
0.5% Pb and 1.2% Zn. The average value of
extractable proportion percentage in simulated
gastric environment decreased in the order of
mountain soil (33%) N farmland soil (22%) N tailing
(20%) N control area soil (19%) N stream sediment
(17%), and in simulated small intestine environ-
ment in the order of stream sediment (6.3%) N
farmland soil (5.7%) N mountain soil(4.6%) N tail-
ing (2.8%) N control area soil (1.8%).
(5) From the results of risk assessment, the toxic risk
(HI) value of heavy metals in the mine area was
16. Especially, HQ value of only As was 15. The
carcinogenic risk for As in this mine area was
estimated as 2.7E03. Thus the daily intake or
contact of soil, crop plant and water by the local
residents can pose a potential health threat due to
long-term arsenic exposure.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the grant (M10324060002-
03B3106-00210) from the Korea Ministry of Science and
Technology.
References
Adriano, D.C., 2001. Trace Elements in Terrestrial Environments, 2nd ed.
Springer.
American Petroleum Institute (API), 1998. DSS version 2.0. American
Petroleum Institute, CA, USA.
Bowen, H.J.M., 1979. Environmental Chemistry of the Elements.
Academic Press, New York.
Fuller, M.F., 1991. In Vitro Digestion for Pigs and Poultry. CAB
International, pp. 67176.
Jung, M.C.,1995,Environmental contamination of heavy metals in
soils, plants waters and sediments in the vicinity of metalliferous
mine in Korea, Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of London.
Kabata-Pendias, A., Pendias, H., 1984. Trace Elements in Soils and
Plants. CRC Press.
Kolluru, R.V., Bartell, S.M., Pitblado, R.M., Stricoff, R.S., 1996. Risk
Assessment and Management Handbook. McGrow-Hill.
Korean Ministry of Environment, 2003. Standards on the Water
Contaminants for Drinking Water.
Ramsey, M.H., Thompson, M., Banerjee, E.K., 1987. Realistic
assessment of analytical data quality from inductively coupled
plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Anal. Proc. 24, 260265.
US EPA, 1991. EPA Supplemental Guidance, Office of Solid Waste
and Emergency Response, Directive 9285.6-03. US Environmen-
tal Protection Agency, Washington DC.
US EPA, 1992. EPA Guidelines for Exposure Assessment. Federal
Register.
Wcislo, E., Ioven, D., Kucharski, R., Szdzuj, J., 2002. Human Health
Risk Assessment Case Study: An Abandoned Metal Smelter Site in
Poland, Chemosphere.