A Multi-Medium Analysis of Human Health Risk of Toxic Elements in Rice-Crayfish System: A Case Study from Middle Reach of Yangtze River, China

Abstract

Rice-crayfish system has been extensively promoted in China in recent years. However, the presence of toxic elements in soil may threaten the quality of agricultural products. In this study, eight toxic elements were determined in multi-medium including soil, rice, and crayfish from the rice-crayfish system (RCS) and conventional rice culture (CRC) area. Crayfish obtained a low level of toxic element content, and mercury (Hg) in rice from RCS showed the highest bioavailability and mobility. Health risk assessment, coupled with Monte Carlo simulation, revealed that the dietary exposure to arsenic (As) and Hg from rice and crayfish consumption was the primary factor for non-carcinogenic risk, while Cd and As were the dominant contributors to the high carcinogenic risk of rice intake for adults and children, respectively. Based on the estimated probability distribution, the probabilities of the total cancer risk (TCR) of rice intake for children from RCS were lower than that from CRC.