Effects of Typical Karst Tourist Town on the Lijiang River Water: From Heavy Metals to <i>N</i>-Nitrosamines

Yuanyu Shan; Yuru Su; Xinli Xing; Bingquan Zhu; Honghu Zeng; Yuan Zhang; Junyu Li; Xiaoyu Yan; Wenwen Chen; Benjian Li

doi:10.1007/s12583-024-0004-5

Volume 37 Issue 4

Aug 2026

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Journal of Earth Science > 2026 > 37(4): 1815-1828.

Yuanyu Shan, Yuru Su, Xinli Xing, Bingquan Zhu, Honghu Zeng, Yuan Zhang, Junyu Li, Xiaoyu Yan, Wenwen Chen, Benjian Li. Effects of Typical Karst Tourist Town on the Lijiang River Water: From Heavy Metals to N-Nitrosamines. Journal of Earth Science, 2026, 37(4): 1815-1828. doi: 10.1007/s12583-024-0004-5

Citation:

Yuanyu Shan, Yuru Su, Xinli Xing, Bingquan Zhu, Honghu Zeng, Yuan Zhang, Junyu Li, Xiaoyu Yan, Wenwen Chen, Benjian Li. Effects of Typical Karst Tourist Town on the Lijiang River Water: From Heavy Metals to N-Nitrosamines. Journal of Earth Science, 2026, 37(4): 1815-1828. doi: 10.1007/s12583-024-0004-5

Citation:

Yuanyu Shan, Yuru Su, Xinli Xing, Bingquan Zhu, Honghu Zeng, Yuan Zhang, Junyu Li, Xiaoyu Yan, Wenwen Chen, Benjian Li. Effects of Typical Karst Tourist Town on the Lijiang River Water: From Heavy Metals to N-Nitrosamines. Journal of Earth Science, 2026, 37(4): 1815-1828. doi: 10.1007/s12583-024-0004-5

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Effects of Typical Karst Tourist Town on the Lijiang River Water: From Heavy Metals to N-Nitrosamines

doi: 10.1007/s12583-024-0004-5

1.
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China
2.
School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430078, China
3.
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430078, China
4.
College of Arts, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China
5.
College of Arts and Communication, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China

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Corresponding author: Honghu Zeng, zenghonghu@glut.edu.cn; Benjian Li, lbj@glut.edu.cn
Received Date: 06 Dec 2023
Accepted Date: 10 Apr 2024
Issue Publish Date: 30 Aug 2026

Abstract

Abstract

N-nitrosamines are nitrogenous organic pollutants with high carcinogenicity to humans. Heavy metal pollution in aquatic systems is currently a major environmental problem. Tourism in typical karst areas may influence the environment through wastewater discharge. However, it remains unclear whether these activities would cause water pollution. To evaluate the impact of tourism activities in typical tourist towns, this study investigated the occurrence and sources of 18 N-nitrosamines, eight heavy metals (HMs), and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in the Lijiang River and its tributaries. Seven N-nitrosamines were detected, among which N-nitroso-N-ethylaniline (NEA, average of 24.8 ng/L) and N-nitroso-l-proline (NPRO, 20.4 ng/L) were the dominant compounds, while especially low concentrations of HMs (Mn, Cu, As, Ni, Cr, Co, Pb, and Cd) and DIN (NH₄⁺-N, NO₂^--N, and NO₃^--N) were observed. The most important influencing factors were seasonal factors, followed by land use type and mainstem and tributary factors. Principal component analysis revealed that in the city with developed tourism and relatively less heavy industry, aquaculture and agricultural wastewater were identified as the primary sources of N-nitrosamines. Meanwhile, domestic sewage and agricultural wastewater were found to be the main sources of HMs and DIN, respectively. The ecological risk assessments for all pollutants are relatively low (< 1). Therefore, N-nitrosamines, HMs, and DIN pollution caused by tourist activities pose a negligible risk to the Lijiang River.
- Lijiang River,
- N-nitrosamines,
- heavy metals,
- spatial distribution,
- water pollution

Electronic Supplementary Materials: Supplementary Materials (Figures S1–S2, Tables S1–S9) are available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-024-0004-5.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Effects of Typical Karst Tourist Town on the Lijiang River Water: From Heavy Metals to N-Nitrosamines

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