=+74. Contamination of mine soils in China is a serious environmental problem. The article “Heavy Metal Contamination in Soils and Phytoaccumulation in a Manganese Mine Wasteland, South China” (Air, Soil, and Water Res., 2008: 31–41) reported that, for a sample of 3 soil specimens from a certain restored mining area, the sample mean concentration of total Cu was 45.31 mg/kg with a corresponding (estimated) standard error of the mean of 5.26. It was also stated that the China