Supplementary Data

Comparison of Soil Heavy Metal Pollution Caused by E-waste Recycling Activities and Traditional Industrial Operations

Kailing He1,2, Zehang Sun1,2, Yuanan Hu3, Xiangying Zeng1, Zhiqiang Yu1, Hefa Cheng4*

1 State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry

Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Guangzhou 510640, China

2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Beijing 100049, China

3 MOE Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Evolution

School of Water Resources and Environment

China University of Geosciences (Beijing)

Beijing 100083, China

4 MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes

College of Urban and Environmental Sciences

Peking University

Beijing 100871, China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Date: Jan. 23, 2017

Number of Pages: 4

Number of Tables: 4

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1. Tables

Table S1. Classification of the potential ecological risk category of heavy metals based on Ei and RI values (Hakanson, 1980).

Threshold value / Ecological risk of single metal pollution / RI value / General level of potential ecological risk
Ei<40 / Low / RI<150; / Low
40≤Ei<80 / Moderate / 150≤RI<300 / Moderate
80≤Ei<160 / Considerable / 300≤RI<600 / High
160≤Ei<320 / High / RI≥600 / Very high
Ei≥320 / Very high

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Table S2. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP, billion Yuan) of the e-waste recycling areas and the traditional industrial zones in Guangdong Province over the period of 2005-2009.

Year / Dongguan / Zhuhai / Zhongshan / Qingyuan / Chaoyang District, Shantou
2005 / 31.57 / 9.10 / 218.24 / 63.46 / 81.76
2006 / 43.22 / 10.44 / 262.46 / 74.96 / 103.6
2007 / 59.74 / 12.04 / 315.1 / 88.68 / 121.07
2008 / 74.66 / 14.05 / 370.25 / 99.21 / 140.85
2009 / 85.52 / 15.88 / 376.33 / 103.77 / 156.44
Average / 58.94 / 12.30 / 308.48 / 86.02 / 120.74

Table S3. Correlation between the average of GDP and the potential ecological risk index (RI) of heavy metals in the surface soils of Qingyuan and Guiyu.

Average GDP / RI
Average GDP / Pearson correlation / 1 / 1.000**
Sig. (2-tailed) / .
N / 2 / 2
RI / Pearson correlation / 1.000** / 1
Sig. (2-tailed) / .
N / 2 / 2
** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Table S4. Correlation between the average GDP and the potential ecological risk index (RI) of heavy metals in the surface soils of Dongguan, Zhuhai, and Zhongshan.

Average GDP / RI
Average GDP / Pearson correlation / 1 / -0.850
Sig. (2-tailed) / 0.354
N / 3 / 3
RI / Pearson correlation / -0.850 / 1
Sig. (2-tailed) / 0.354
N / 3 / 3

Reference

Hakanson L (1980) An ecological risk index for aquatic pollution control: A sedimentological approach. Water Res 14: 975-1001.

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