Environmental impact of heavy metal in coal mining spoils:An investigation on water near waste piles in Huainan gob area, Anhui Province, China

The paper focuses the environmental impact of heavy metals in coal mining spoils in Xinzi No.5 Coal Mine on fishing ground, Huainan mining area. The results indicate that the concentration of heavy metals in water samples, except for Zn、Cu in one sample, are less than national fishery-water quality standard of China. Nevertheless, Cd and Cu in coal mining spoils are much more than their background levels in Huabei shale and shale from the earth's crust (lithosphere), but Cr、Pb and Zn are present similar values comparing with these background levels. Therefore, discharge of heavy metal in weathering coal mining spoils did not yet cause the remarkable contamination of ground water in Huainan coal mining areas since there are relevant low content of heavy metals in coal mining spoils. In general, it is important to monitor the soil and sediment and biota around coal mining spoil piles, and to pay attention to long-term environmental impact of heavy metals.