Cultivars and oil extraction techniques affect Cd/Pb contents and health risks in oil of rapeseed grown on Cd/Pb-contaminated farmland

Substitute planting with rapeseed offers promise for safely using large areas of Cd/Pb-contaminated farmland.Cd/Pb distributions during rapeseed oil production were investigated and health risks posed by the oil were assessed.Tests were performed using three cultivars(Brassica rapa SYH and ZS100 and Brassica napus QY-1)and four oil extraction techniques(mechanical and low-temperature pressing and n-hexane and subcritical low-temperature butane extraction).The amounts of Cd and Pb in oil were 0.73%-8.44%and 3.14%-11.76%,respectively,of the amounts in rapeseed and were strongly affected by the cultivar and oil extraction technique.The heavy metal(HM)concentrations were lower in solvent-extracted oil(particularly subcritical low-temperature butane extracted oil,in which HMs were not detected)than mechanically pressed oil.The Cd and Pb transfer indices were lower(meaning larger proportions of HMs were retained by the rapeseed meal)for B.rapa than B.napus.This was attributed to a high HM binding protein content of B.rapa seed.Health risks to humans were assessed using a probabilistic risk assessment model.The carcinogenic risk was mainly(97.1%-99.9%)caused by Cd and poses more concern than non-carcinogenic risk.Stronger health risks are posed by mechanically pressed than solvent-extracted oil,and higher carcinogenic risks are posed to people living in rural areas than urban areas.Substitute planting with B.rapa and extracting oil with organic solvent(preferably subcritical low-temperature butane)are optimal for safely utilizing Cd/Pb-contaminated soil.Attention should be paid to the health risks posed by Cd in oil to rural populations.

Rubber plantation and its relationship with topographical factors in the border region of China, Laos and Myanmar

Rubber plantation is the major land use type in Southeast Asia. Monitoring the spa- tial-temporal pattern of rubber plantation is significant for regional land resource development, eco-environmental protection, and maintaining border security. With remote sensing tech- nologies, we analyzed the rubber distribution pattern and spatial-temporal dynamic; with GIS and a newly proposed index of Planted Intensity （PI）, we further quantified the impacts and limits of topographical factors on rubber plantation in the border region of China, Laos and Myanmar （BRCLM） between 1980 and 2010. The results showed that： （1） As the dominant land use type in this border region, the acreage of rubber plantation was 6014 km2 in 2010, accounting for 8.17% of the total area. Viewing from the rubber plantation structure, the ratio of mature- （〉10 year） and young rubber plantation （〈 10 year） was 5：7. （2） From 1980 to 2010, rubber plantation expanded significantly in BRCLM, from 705 km2 to 6014 km2, nearly nine times. The distribution characteristics of rubber plantation varied from concentrated toward dispersed, from border inside to outside, and expanded further in all directions with Jinghong City as the center. （3） Restricted by the topographical factors, more than 4/5 proportion of rubber plantation concentrated in the appropriate elevation gradients between 600 and 1000 m, rarely occurred in elevations beyond 1200 m in BRCLM. Nearly 2/3 of rubber plantation concentrated on slopes of 8^-25~, rarely distributed on slopes above 35~. Rubber plantation was primarily distributed in south and east aspects, relatively few in north and west aspects. Rubber planted intensity displayed the similar distribution trend. （4） Comparative studies of rubber plantation in different countries showed that there was a remarkable increase in area at higher elevations and steeper slopes in China, while there were large appropriate topog- raphical gradients for rubber plantation in Laos and Myanmar which benefited China for rubber trans-boundary expansion. （5） Rubber plantation in BRCLM will definitely expend cross borders of China to the territories of Laos and Myanmar, and the continuous expansion in the border region of China will be inevitable.