Health risk assessment of various metal(loid)s via multiple exposure pathways on children living near a typical lead-acid battery plant, China

• The health risks of children living around a typical lead-acid battery was analyzed.
• The exposure pathways of children to 12 heavy metal(loid)s were assessed.
• Courtyard soil and indoor dust and duplicate food were contaminated by metal(loid)s.
• Food ingestion was the major pathway for children's exposure to most metal(loid)s.
• Higher potentially non-cancer and cancer risks happened to the local children.

Manufacture of lead-acid batteries is of widespread interest because of its emissions of heavy metals and metalloids into environment, harming environmental quality and consequently causing detrimental effects on human health. In this study, exposure pathways and health risks of children to heavy metal(loid)s (Pb, Cd, As, etc) were investigated based on field sampling and questionnaire. Pb was one of the most abundant elements in children's blood, with an elevated blood lead level of 12.45 μg dL−1. Soil/dust and food were heavily polluted by targeted metal(loid)s. Food ingestion accounted for more than 80% of the total exposure for most metal(loid)s. The non-cancer risks to children were 3–10 times higher than the acceptable level of 1, while the cancer risks were 5–200 times higher than the maximum acceptable level of 1.0 × 10−4. The study emphasized the significance of effective environmental management, particularly to ensure food security near battery facilities.