Environ Monit Assess. 2026 Jun 19;198(7):749. doi: 10.1007/s10661-026-15598-2.
ABSTRACT
Roadside dust samples were analyzed for potentially toxic metals (PTMs) using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Ecological and health risks of PTMs were assessed using the pollution index (PI), nemerov integrated pollution index (NIPI), ecological risk index (ERI), enrichment factor (EF), average daily dose (ADD), hazard quotient and hazard index (HQ and HI), and carcinogenic risk (CR). The mean concentrations (mg kg⁻1) of PTMs in samples existed as Cr (1.55-61.95), Cd (1.2-6.25), Pb (0.5-58), and Ni (2-46.7) across all study sites. Compared with control soils, roadside dust exhibited overall elevated PTM concentrations. PI values exceeded 1 for all PTMs, indicating a high level of pollution, while Cd showed high enrichment (EF > 5) and considerable ecological risk (ERI < 150) in the majority of samples. Non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks were with in safe limits (< 1) for all samples. Ingestion was the dominant exposure pathway, followed by inhalation and dermal contact. Children exhibited higher health risks as compared to adults due to lower body weight and higher exposure. Principal component analysis (PCA) suggested that PTMs primarily originated from anthropogenic sources, and Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that most variables were significantly correlated (p ≤ 0.5). The outcomes of the study would be valuable in finding effective measures for the mitigating stratagies of PTMs in environment.
PMID:42319592 | DOI:10.1007/s10661-026-15598-2
