Toxic Elements in Soil Near Coal Mines Threaten Ecosystems and Human Health

Strategic Insights -

Research conducted at Shanxi Medical University in Taiyuan, People's Republic of China, has revealed that potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soil near coal mines pose a significant threat to soil biota, ecosystem stability, and human health. Soil nematodes, which quickly respond to environmental changes, are reliable biological indicators of PTEs contamination. The study aimed to establish a systematic ecological risk assessment model for PTEs contamination using general community indices and nematode-based indices (NBIs).

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that soil nematodes are reliable biological indicators of PTEs contamination, which can indicate the presence of toxic elements such as Pb, Hg, Mn, and Zn.
  • The research revealed that PTEs concentrations significantly exceeded background values, with moderate pollution and significant spatial and seasonal variations.
  • Structure index (SI), nematode channel ratio (NCR), and maturity index (MI) showed negative linear dose-response relationships with PTEs concentration.
  • Ridge regression (Ridge) model performed the best for the nemerow synthetic pollution index (NSPI) and potential ecological risk index (RI) of comprehensive PTEs, while the random forest (RF) model performed the best for the pollution load index (PLI).
  • NCR, MI, and Shannon-Weaver diversity index (H) were the most important factors in determining NSPI (NCR = 21.08 %, MI = 20.78 %, and H = 18.48 %) and RI (NCR = 20.90 %, MI = 20.90 %, and H = 19.50 %).
  • The results highlight that PTEs contamination near coal mine areas was severe, leading to significant disturbances in nematode community structure.
  • Applying general community indices and NBIs can effectively predict the ecological risks of PTEs.
  • The study shows that coal mining activities can lead to severe environmental pollution, threatening ecosystems and human health.

Statistics:

  • PTEs concentrations exceeded background values by 0.2 to 6.35 times.
  • SI, NCR, and MI showed negative linear dose-response relationships with PTEs concentration.
  • Ridge regression (Ridge) model performed the best for the NSPI and RI of comprehensive PTEs (R-squared = 0.85).
  • Random forest (RF) model performed the best for the pollution load index (PLI) (R-squared = 0.92).

Sources:

  • A novel ecological risk assessment method of potentially toxic elements based on soil nematode communities. Geoderma, 2025, 460(), 117403. The publisher for Geoderma is Elsevier.
  • NewsRx. Shanxi Medical University Researchers Update Current Data on Ecology (A novel ecological risk assessment method of potentially toxic elements based on soil nematode communities). Life Science Weekly. August 12, 2025; p 6522.