Study on Ecological Health Risk Assessment of Soil Heavy Metal Chromium: A Case Study of a Sewage Irrigation Area in Shanxi Province

Taking a sewage irrigation area in Shanxi Province as the research object, this study proposes an ecological health risk assessment method for soil heavy metal chromium(Cr). The method is constructed by integrating the environmental pressure, migration pathways, and ecological environmental response of Cr, based on the Pressure-State-Response(PSR) model. Comparisons with other assessment methods reveal that the method established in this study classifies the ecological health risks of the study area into four levels. In contrast, the single-factor evaluation method and the geo-accumulation index method only classify the area into two levels, while the potential ecological risk index method categorizes the entire area as a slight ecological hazard level. Consequently, the ecological health risk assessment method constructed in this study offers significant reference value for the remediation and risk control of Cr-contaminated soil, facilitating the selection and application of subsequent remediation or risk management measures.