Fecha de publicación: -- Fuente: PubMed "rice" RSC Adv. 2026 Sep 9. doi: 10.1039/d6ra06383g. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThermal power plants (TPPs) located near intensively cultivated rice-growing landscapes act as significant sources of potentially toxic element (PTE) contamination. This study explored the distribution, soil-to-rice transfer, and dietary health risk of PTEs through paddy ingestion in agricultural soil around a coal-based TPP. The contamination status of soil, uptake of PTEs in plants, and dietary exposure risk were assessed using soil and plant samples from 47 paddy cultivation locations within a 10 km buffer zone radius. The results indicated the highest enrichment of Cd (contamination factor (CF) ≈ 7.5), followed by substantial enrichment of nickel (Ni), with several sites exceeding the extremely high pollution threshold and Ni concentrations exceeding the soil guideline value for international standards. Moderate to considerable contamination of soil by PTEs was indicated overall, with an average pollution load index (PLI) ≈ 1.48. Grain contamination was also evident, with 72% of sites exceeding the permissible limit for Cr and 66% for both Pb and Ni. Bioaccumulation and translocation factors revealed that As, Pb, and Cr were preferentially retained in roots, whereas Cd and Ni showed comparatively greater internal mobility. The health risk assessment based on rice consumption revealed elevated non-carcinogenic risk for children (HI = 13.5), predominantly driven by As, and high carcinogenic risk for adults (TCR = 1.72 × 10-2), with As, Cd, and Ni identified as the major contributors. Sensitivity analysis indicated that rice ingestion rate and exposure frequency were the principal contributors to risk variability, exceeding the influence of PTE concentration in rice grains. These findings demonstrate that dietary risk may remain substantial despite moderate composite soil pollution and highlight the need for integrated soil-plant-grain monitoring around coal-fired thermal power plants.PMID:42719679 | PMC:PMC13555700 | DOI:10.1039/d6ra06383g