Kavsar, N.; Eziz, M.; Sidikjan, N. Pollution and Health Risk Assessment of Hazardous Elements in Surface Dust along an Urbanization Gradient. Sustainability2023, 15, 11842.
Kavsar, N.; Eziz, M.; Sidikjan, N. Pollution and Health Risk Assessment of Hazardous Elements in Surface Dust along an Urbanization Gradient. Sustainability 2023, 15, 11842.
Kavsar, N.; Eziz, M.; Sidikjan, N. Pollution and Health Risk Assessment of Hazardous Elements in Surface Dust along an Urbanization Gradient. Sustainability2023, 15, 11842.
Kavsar, N.; Eziz, M.; Sidikjan, N. Pollution and Health Risk Assessment of Hazardous Elements in Surface Dust along an Urbanization Gradient. Sustainability 2023, 15, 11842.
Abstract
Pollution of urban surface dust with hazardous elements (HEs) is a serious environmental issue due to its toxicity and potential hazardous effects. Surface dust samples were collected from core urban, urban, and suburban gradients in the Urumqi city of the arid NW China, and the concentrations of six HEs, such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and chromium (Cr), were determined. The pollution load index (PLI) and the US EPA health risk assessment model were applied to analyze and compare the pollution levels and potential health risk of HEs in surface dusts in different urbanization gradients. The obtained results indicate that the average concentrations of Hg, Cd, and Ni in surface dust decrease in the order of core urban > urban > suburban, whereas the average concentrations of As, Cr, and Pb decrease in the order of urban > core urban > suburban. The PLI of HEs in surface dust decreased in the order of core urban > urban > suburban. The concentrations of HEs in the core urban and urban gradients are relatively higher than in the suburban gradient. Furthermore, the total non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk index of investigated HEs in surface dust decrease in order of urban > core urban > suburban, for both adults and children. In addition, the pollution of surface dust with HEs in all urbanization gradients is more harmful to the children's health than to the adults. Overall, the potential non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks of the investigated HEs, instigated primarily by oral ingestion of surface dust, are found to be within the acceptable range. However, urbanization can effects the accumulation of HEs in surface dust, and Cr is the main non-carcinogenic risk factor, whereas Cd is the main carcinogenic risk factor among the analyzed HEs in surface dust in all urbanization gradients.
Keywords
urbanization gradient; surface dust; hazardous elements; pollution; health risk
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science
Copyright:
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