Evaluation of health risks associated with potential toxic elements (PTEs) in urban public automobile parks soil dust in Northwest, Nigeria
Description
Public automobile parks soil dust is a significant source of inhalable particulate matter in metropolitan environments worldwide. This study aims to examine the health risks associated with ten potential toxic elements (As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Hg, Li, Zn and Pb) and their composition in motor parks in the Northwest region of Nigeria. For this, dust samples are collected from 13 motor parks in the study region. The collected samples are digested and analysed for ten potential toxic element using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer while Hg was analysed using a Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence Spectrophotometer. The highest mean concentration is noted for Ba (189.37 mg/kg) followed by Zn (157.53 mg/kg), Cu (115.26 mg/kg) and Cr (67.01 mg/kg). Enrichment factor (EF) and contamination factor (CF) are calculated as Ba and Zn show the highest EF and CF. Additionally, the health risk assessment for PTEs shows that the elements with the highest health index are As, Pb, Cr, and Ba; the health index of these elements indicates a potential health risk; ingestion is the main pathway, and children appear to be at a higher risk than adults. According to guidelines 10-4 –10-6, the risk of cancer from potentially toxic elements in motor park dust was found to be low for both adults and children in three pathways. Different pollution levels are reflected in the geo-accumulation index, with certain metals presenting serious ecological risks. The study also reveals different pollution patterns in automobile parks by comparing its findings with those of other studies conducted around the world. Principal component analysis (PCA) provided justification for the metal content in dust that was regulated by a combination of anthropogenic and natural sources. The report highlights the necessity of putting remedial measures into place to address the environmental and public health problems associated with metal pollution.