Global soil pollution by toxic metals threatens agriculture and human health

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Hou, Deyi; Jia, Xiyue; Wang, Liuwei; McGrath, Steve P.; Zhu, Yong-Guan; Hu, Qing; Zhao, Fang-Jie; Bank, Michael S.; O'Connor, David; Nriagu, Jerome
• 署名单位: Tsinghua University; Tsinghua University; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC); Rothamsted Research; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (RCEES), CAS; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Urban Environment, CAS; Southern University of Science & Technology; Nanjing Agricultural University; Institute of Marine Research - Norway; University of Massachusetts System; University of Massachusetts Amherst; Royal Agricultural University; University of Michigan System; University of Michigan
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-8097
• DOI: 10.1126/science.adr5214
• 发表日期: 2025-04-18
• 页码: 316-321
• 关键词: heavy-metals; spatial-distribution; anthropogenic sources; oxidative stress; european-union; gis; contamination; urban; RISK; IMPACT

摘要

Toxic metal pollution is ubiquitous in soils, yet its worldwide distribution is unknown. We analyzed a global database of soil pollution by arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, nickel, and lead at 796,084 sampling points from 1493 regional studies and used machine learning techniques to map areas with exceedance of agricultural and human health thresholds. We reveal a previously unrecognized high-risk, metal-enriched zone in low-latitude Eurasia, which is attributed to influential climatic, topographic, and anthropogenic conditions. This feature can be regarded as a signpost for the Anthropocene era. We show that 14 to 17% of cropland is affected by toxic metal pollution globally and estimate that between 0.9 and 1.4 billion people live in regions of heightened public health and ecological risks.