Papers

@article{teran-baamonde_human_2026,

title = {Human health risk assessment of metals from bio-based microplastics using a bioavailability gastrointestinal digestion model},

author = {Javier Terán-Baamonde and Rosa María Soto-Ferreiro and Elia Alonso-Rodríguez and Alatzne Carlosena-Zubieta and Soledad Muniategui-Lorenzo},

url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749125019566},

doi = {10.1016/j.envpol.2025.127582},

issn = {0269-7491},

year  = {2026},

date = {2026-02-01},

urldate = {2026-02-01},

journal = {Environmental Pollution},

volume = {391},

pages = {127582},

abstract = {Bio-based plastics are widely regarded as a promising alternative to conventional plastics; however, assessing their impact on environmental and human health is critically important. This study evaluates the human bioavailability of Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Sn from microplastics (MPs) derived from the most common bio-based materials: polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV). Three scenarios were considered: raw material, material aged in a marine environment, and material subjected to a laboratory-based metal adsorption process. An in vitro gastrointestinal procedure, modified from the Unified Bioaccessibility Method (UBM) by incorporating a dialysis membrane, was employed to simulate intestinal absorption and determine the bioavailable fraction. MPs from both raw and marine-aged materials exhibited neither non-carcinogenic nor carcinogenic risks. However, non-carcinogenic risks were identified in metal-loaded MPs for Cd and Co (in PHAs and PLA) and Sb (in PHAs) in both adults and children, when considering the bioaccessible fraction. In contrast, when bioavailability was used, these risks were limited to Cd and Co. Carcinogenic risks associated with Cr in metal-loaded PHB and PHBV were identified for both adults and children, based solely on bioaccessibility. This study demonstrates that bioavailability provides a more reliable approach than bioaccessibility for evaluating human health risks associated with metals in bio-based MPs, because it accounts not only for the metal fraction that becomes solubilized during the digestive process, but also for the portion that, once solubilized, is subsequently absorbed into the bloodstream. Furthermore, the study highlights that each bio-based plastic type exhibits distinct metal-related behaviour.},

keywords = {Bio-based plastics, Bioaccessibility, Bioavailability, gastrointestinal digestion, Health risk assessment, Metals},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{zhu_hydrochemical_2023,

title = {A hydrochemical and isotopic approach for source identification and health risk assessment of groundwater arsenic pollution in the central Yinchuan basin},

author = {Yiwen Zhu and Qingchun Yang and Hao Wang and Junwei Yang and Xunyu Zhang and Zijun Li and Jordi Delgado-Martín},

url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935123009544},

doi = {10.1016/j.envres.2023.116153},

issn = {0013-9351},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-08-01},

urldate = {2026-08-13},

journal = {Environmental Research},

volume = {231},

pages = {116153},

abstract = {Arsenic contamination of groundwater is becoming a major global issue as it can severely affect the safety of drinking water and human health. In this paper, 448 water samples were investigated to study the spatiotemporal distribution, source identification and human health risk of groundwater arsenic pollution in the central Yinchuan basin by applying a hydrochemical and isotopic approach. The results showed that arsenic concentrations in groundwater ranged from 0.7 μg/L to 26 μg/L with a mean of 2.19 μg/L, and 5.9% of samples were above 5 μg/L, indicating the arsenic pollution of groundwater in the study area. High arsenic groundwater was mainly distributed in the northern and eastern areas along the Yellow river. The main hydrochemistry type of high arsenic groundwater was HCO3·SO4–Na·Mg, and the dissolution of arsenic-bearing minerals in sediment, irrigation water infiltration and aquifer recharge from the Yellow river were the main sources of arsenic in groundwater. The arsenic enrichment was dominantly controlled by the TMn redox reaction and the competitive adsorption of HCO3−, and the influence of anthropogenic activities was limited. The health risk assessment suggested that the carcinogenic risk of As for children and adults greatly exceeded the acceptable risk threshold of 1E-6, displaying a high carcer risk, while the non-carcinogenic risks of As, F−, TFe, TMn and NO3− in 2019 were largely higher than the acceptable risk threshold (HQ > 1). The present study provides insight into the occurrence, hydrochemical processes and potential health risk of arsenic pollution in groundwater.},

keywords = {Arsenic pollution, Groundwater, Health risk assessment, Hydrochemical process, Stable isotopes},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{gui_spatial_2023,

title = {Spatial distribution, contamination characteristics and ecological-health risk assessment of toxic heavy metals in soils near a smelting area},

author = {Han Gui and Qingchun Yang and Xingyu Lu and Hualin Wang and Qingbao Gu and Jordi Delgado-Martín},

url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935123001202},

doi = {10.1016/j.envres.2023.115328},

issn = {0013-9351},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-04-01},

urldate = {2026-08-13},

journal = {Environmental Research},

volume = {222},

pages = {115328},

abstract = {Soil heavy metals (HMs) contamination stemming from smelting and mining activities is becoming a global concern due to its devastating impacts on the environment and human health. In this study, 128 soil samples were investigated to assess the spatial distribution, contamination characteristics, ecological and human health risk of HMs in soils near a smelting area by using BP artificial neural network (BP-ANN) and Monte Carlo simulation. The results showed that the concentrations of all five HMs in the soil greatly exceeded the background value of study area with a basic trend: Pb > As > Cr > Cd > Hg, indicating a high pollution level. Arsenic and lead were the major pollutants in the study area with an exceedance rate of 78.95% and 28.95%, respectively. The toxic fume and dust emitted during the smelting process were identified as the major sources of HMs pollution in soil, while Cd pollution was mainly caused by agricultural activities near the study area. The probabilistic risk assessment suggested that the average HQ values of five HMs for children and adults exceeded the acceptable threshold with a trend: As > Pb > Cr > Cd > Hg. The average CR values of As, Cr and Pb for all population were greatly larger than the acceptable threshold (CR ≥ 1), indicating a high cancer risk. However, the CR values of Cd for adults and children were within the acceptable threshold (CR < 1), implying no cancer risk. The results of the present study can provide some insight into the contamination characteristics, ecological and human health risk of HMs in contaminated soils by mining and smelting activities, which can help prevent and control soil pollution and environmental risk.},

keywords = {BP artificial Neural network, Ecological risk, Health risk assessment, Heavy metals, Monte Carlo simulation, Soil contamination},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{wang_speciation_2023,

title = {Speciation, in vitro bioaccessibility and health risk of antimony in soils near an old industrial area},

author = {Hao Wang and Qingchun Yang and Yiwen Zhu and Qingbao Gu and Jordi Delgado-Martín},

url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969722058661},

doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158767},

issn = {0048-9697},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

urldate = {2026-08-10},

journal = {Science of The Total Environment},

volume = {854},

pages = {158767},

abstract = {Antimony (Sb) contamination in soil has become a major environmental issue due to its adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. In this paper, 1255 soil samples were analyzed to investigate the distribution, speciation, in vitro oral bioaccessibility (8 soil samples) and human health risk of Sb in contaminated soils and its impacts on groundwater. The results showed that 4.38 % of the soil samples within the depth of 0–31 m exceeded the Risk Screening Values (RSV). Sb mainly existed in the residual fraction (38.05 % ∼ 94.22 %), Fe/Mn oxides (0.01 % ∼ 31.80 %) and the organic fraction (0.32 % ∼ 21.55 %) with poor mobility. The bioaccessibility of Sb was approximately <31 %. The total concentration of Sb (TSb) in soil was the dominant factor influencing the bioaccessible concentration of Sb (SbBio). Soil physiochemical properties such as Fe, Mn, and organic matter content (OM) also affected the magnitude of SbBio. Health risk assessment based on in vitro bioaccessibility suggested that the hazard quotient (HQ) of adults was within the acceptable level (HQ < 1) for industrial scenario, while the HQ of children and adults was greater than the acceptable level (HQ ≥ 1) for residential scenario, with a higher risk to children than adults. The results of the leaching experiment involving Dilution-Attenuation Factor (DAF) model suggested that the predicted maximum concentration of Sb in groundwater was 2.40 μg/L that is lower than the acceptable standard value (5 μg/L), implying that groundwater was not contaminated by Sb in soil. The findings of this study provide some insights into the speciation, in vitro bioaccessibility and health risk of toxic trace metals in contaminated soils and the potential environmental impacts.},

keywords = {Antimony, Chemical speciation, Dilution-attenuation factor model, Health risk assessment, In vitro oral bioaccessibility},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{yang_health_2018,

title = {Health risk assessment of phreatic water based on triangular fuzzy theory in Yinchuan plain},

author = {Shuo Yang and Qingchun Yang and Hongyun Ma and Ji Liang and Cunwen Niu and Jordi Delgado-Martín},

url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651318307668},

doi = {10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.08.036},

issn = {0147-6513},

year  = {2018},

date = {2018-11-01},

urldate = {2026-08-04},

journal = {Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety},

volume = {164},

pages = {732–738},

abstract = {Groundwater quality relating closely to human health has become a great concern to the whole society, especially in heavily polluted areas. Yinchuan Plain, located in the arid and semi-arid region of Northwestern China, where people rely heavily on groundwater resource. However, due to the improper groundwater exploitation and negative effect of human activities in recent years, groundwater quality in Yinchuan plain become deteriorated. For the sustainable utilization and protection of groundwater resources, health risk assessment (HRA) of phreatic water is conducted in this paper. On the basis of model recommended by EPA, triangular fuzzy number is applied to establish risk assessment model for health risk assessment of adults and children in wet and dry seasons, respectively. Results of HRA indicate that carcinogenic risk of arsenic is highest among the risk from components in phreatic water, and the highest risk from arsenic to adults and children in wet and dry season are 6.48 × 10−6a−1 and 9.56 × 10−6a−1, 1.08 × 10−5a−1 and 1.59 × 10−5a−1, respectively. This study also states that in Yinchuan Plain carcinogenic risk from drinking groundwater can be 3–4 times magnitude higher than the noncarcinogenic risk. Also it is found that the health risk to children is as 1.5–2 times as to adults, while the uncertainties of adults’ health risk are higher than that of children.},

keywords = {Groundwater, Health risk assessment, Triangular fuzzy theory, Yinchuan Plain},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}