Occurrence of cadmium in groundwater in China: a review

Abstract China has one of the world’s fastest-growing economies due to its increase in various industrial activities. A side effect of economic growth is severe environmental problems such as heavy metal contamination of soil and groundwater. Anthropogenic activities are the main sources of cadmium which is highly mobile and toxic with the potential to bioaccumulate in the ecosystem. It can contaminate ground and river water consequently negatively impacting agriculture and water sources. Anthropogenic source of Cd concentrations in China is 0.002 mg/L in drinking water, 0.102 mg/kg in soil, and 0.23–0.96 mg/kg in paddy soil. Geological trends and health implications of cadmium contamination in Human, southern China were analyzed. Source, transportation, and various conventional remediation processes exist today and can be categorized as biological, physical, and chemical. Using nanoparticle technology, it has been found that adsorption capacities can be 3 to 4 times higher compared to using powdered activated carbon. From the experiment carried out, a maximum adsorption capacity of 10.86 mg/g for cadmium was obtained. Cadmium intake in south China populations occurred at an alarming rate and most children were at greater risk of being affected. Therefore, cadmium contamination should be taken seriously by the responsible authorities.