• Soil Contamination and Bioconcentration Characteristics around the Seokdam Mine, Korea

  • Byeong Cheol Song1, Byung Sun Choi2, Young Hun Kim3, Hee Won Kwon3, and Jeong Jin Kim1*

  • 1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Gyeongkuk National University, Andong 36729, Korea
    2Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Korea
    3Department of Environmental Engineering, Gyeongkuk National University, Andong 36729, Korea

  • 석담광산 주변 토양오염 및 생물농축 특성 연구

  • 송병철1ㆍ최병선2ㆍ김영훈3ㆍ권희원3ㆍ김정진1*

  • 1국립경국대학교 지구환경과학과, 2중앙대학교 의과대학 예방의학교실, 3국립경국대학교 환경공학과

  • This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


Abstract

This study evaluated the transfer characteristics and potential exposure of heavy metals among environmental media by comprehensively analyzing soil, water, rice, and human biomarkers in agricultural areas affected by the Seokdam mine located in Seomyeon, Hongcheon, Korea. In soils, relatively high concentrations of As (8.8–19.5 mg/kg), Cd (0.1–1.2 mg/kg), and Zn (62.2–134.0 mg/kg) were observed at specific sites, while water samples showed localized contamination with maximum concentrations of As (3.62 μg/L) and Zn (382.93 μg/L). In rice, Cd concentrations averaged 0.11 mg/kg (maximum 0.52 mg/kg), exceeding the standard in some samples, and bioconcentration factors were relatively high for Cd (0.215) and Zn (0.166). Correlation analyses between soil and rice, as well as rice and human biomarkers, showed generally weak relationships, indicating multi-pathway exposure characteristics. These results suggest that the transfer and exposure of heavy metals in abandoned mine areas can occur through a continuous pathway linking water, soil, crops, and humans.


Keywords: Biomarkers, Heavy metals, Bioconcentration factor, Correlation analysis, Abandoned mine

This Article

  • 2026; 31(2): 49-63

    Published on Apr 30, 2026

  • 10.7857/JSGE.2026.31.2.049
  • Received on Mar 24, 2026
  • Revised on Apr 2, 2026
  • Accepted on Apr 24, 2026

Correspondence to

  • Jeong Jin Kim

  • 1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Gyeongkuk National University, Andong 36729, Korea

  • E-mail: jjkim@andong.ac.kr