EN23116Distribution, speciation, mobility and ecological risk of potentially toxic elements in dust and PM2.5 from abandoned mining areas
Environmental context. Dust is a heterogeneous material deposited on the ground surface and is a source and sink for potentially toxic elements (PTEs) originating from the air and soil. Tracking the distribution and effects of PTEs in an abandoned mining area is critical as few studies have quantified the speciation and bioavailability of PTEs contained in dust and PM2.5. In this paper, we track the distribution of PTEs in an abandoned mining area, quantifying the mobility of PTEs using the speciation of PTEs in dust and PM2.5 and quantitatively assess the environmental and ecological risks of PTE in a mining area.