Spatiotemporal Variation and Pollution Assessment of Pb/Zn from Smelting Activities in China

Nonferrous smelting is an important source of heavy metals in soil, which causes different degrees of soil pollution, especially in lead–zinc (Pb/Zn) smelting areas. Based on the Pb/Zn environmental release during the Pb/Zn mineral smelting processes in 31 Chinese provinces from the period 2000 to 2015, the study analyzed the spatiotemporal variations in Pb/Zn environmental release at the national level and then evaluated the degree of soil...