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Health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in soils along the Central Elbe River, Germany

Environment international, 2019-05, Vol.126, p.76-88 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

2019 The Authors ;Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved. ;ISSN: 0160-4120 ;EISSN: 1873-6750 ;DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.02.011 ;PMID: 30784803

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  • Title:
    Health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in soils along the Central Elbe River, Germany
  • Author: Rinklebe, Jörg ; Antoniadis, Vasileios ; Shaheen, Sabry M. ; Rosche, Oliver ; Altermann, Manfred
  • Subjects: Heavy metals ; Risk assessment ; Riverine ecosystems ; Trace elements ; Wetland soil
  • Is Part Of: Environment international, 2019-05, Vol.126, p.76-88
  • Description: Floodplain soils across Central Elbe River (CER), Germany, vary considerably in potentially toxic element (PTE) content. However, there has never been a comprehensive study that links PTE levels with human health risk for children and adults. Our objective was to determine the contamination of 13 PTEs in 94 soil profiles along CER and assess the associated health risk via diverse indices for adults and children. Of 94 soil profiles, we measured soil properties and total content of arsenic, barium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, rubidium, tin, strontium, vanadium, zinc, and zirconium using x-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF). We calculated the Contamination Factor and the Pollution Load Index (PLI), and assessed the health risk for male and female adults as well as for children. Topsoil median contents of Cr (84 mg kg−1), Cu (42), Ni (33), and Zn (195) exceeded the Precautionary Values for sandy soils according to the German Federal Soil Protection and Contaminated Sites Ordinance, while As, Pb, and V were 32, 73, and 77 mg kg−1, respectively. Median topsoil PLI was 1.73, indicating elevated multi-element contamination, with 90th percentile and maximum values being 3.20 and 4.31, respectively. All PTE concentrations were higher in top- compared to subsoils. Also at the 50th percentile the most enriched elements were Sn and As, followed by Zr and Rb, while in the 90th percentile Sn and As were followed by Zn, Pb and Cu. Median children's hazard index (HI) was higher than unity (HI = 2.27) and the 90th percentile was 5.53, indicating elevated health risk. Adult median HIs were 0.18 for male and 0.21 for female persons. Arsenic was found to be the primary contributor to total risk, accounting of 57.4% of HI in all three-person groupings, with Cr (17.3%) being the second, and V (10.2%) the third. Children's health is at dramatically higher risk than that of adults; also As, Cr, Pb, and V have a predominant role in contamination-related health risks. The presence of V, a less-expected element, among those of major risk contribution, reveals the necessity of monitoring areas at large scale. Our results demonstrate that our study may serve as a model for similar works studying multi-element-contaminated areas in future. •Tin had the highest enrichment in soil based on all studied contamination indices.•Tin was followed by As, Zn, Pb and Cu at 90th percentile.•Zirconium and Rb seem to originate from non-anthropogenic inputs.•Hazard Index for children was higher than unity, showing significant health risks.•Risk assessment indicated As as the predominant risk factor, followed by Cr, V, Pb.•The study is a model for works addressing contamination risks in extended areas.
  • Publisher: Netherlands: Elsevier Ltd
  • Language: English
  • Identifier: ISSN: 0160-4120
    EISSN: 1873-6750
    DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.02.011
    PMID: 30784803
  • Source: DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals
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