Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
D
ISCUSSIONS
Situation of Heavy Metal Pollution in Water Bodies of China
Results suggested that heavy metal pollution in water bodies of China was serious. It is
most likely that these pollutants come from the discharge of industrial wastes as the pollution
sources suggested in the original literatures (e.g. Gan et al. 2010; Yu et al. 2008). Hence
pollution of heavy metals in water bodies of China was a pervasively urgent environmental
problem (Cheng 2002).
For this situation, law of environmental protection should be enforced to constrain
industry to recycle heavy metals from the waste before discharging into water bodies to
decrease the increment of heavy metal contents in the sediments. Then physical, chemical,
biological, biochemical or biosorption measures would be taken to remediate heavy metal in
the water ecosystems (Mulligan et al. 2001; Hashim et al. 2011).
Government in China has taken their efforts to control heavy metal pollution in water
bodies recently. ―Heavy metal pollution of the Xiangjiang River Implementation Plan‖ is the
nation's first pilot program approved by the Central Peoples' Government of P.R. China at
2011 to control and remediate the heavy metal pollution of Xiangjiang River which was the
most heavily polluted river in China.
In addition, ―Prevention and control plan of water pollution in major river valleys from
2011 to 2015‖ is implemented to reduce water pollution. Public efforts such as Institute of
Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE) also promote the monitor of environmental pollution.
From 2006 until now, IPE has collected, released and updated data of the water pollution by
industry to make information of water pollution transparent to the public and supervise
pollution discharge of industry (See website http://www.ipe. org.cn/index.aspx ). However, it
is just the beginning, there is still a long way to go for government and the public to supervise
and control water pollution in China.
On the other hand, Cd, Hg and As were the most severely polluted heavy metals in water
bodies of China. As we all know, Cd, Hg and As are carcinogens for their high toxicity.
Hence, environmental management would focus on pollution of Cd, Hg and As to protect the
health of biota and human in China.
Specifically, remediation of Cd and Hg pollution is important for all water ecosystems,
but elimination of the pollution of As, river ecosystems would be taken account in the first
place.
Furthermore, the heavy metal pollution of rivers was most serious, and it may because
that polluted waste from industry are discharged directly into rivers, these pollutants firstly
deposit into sediments of rivers and the left pollutants are transported by water current to
other water ecosystems.
On the other hand, self-dilution ability of pollutants in sea may lead to the heavy metal
pollution of sea is less serious than rivers.
