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. 2021 Jun 3;18(11):6014.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18116014.

Fractionation of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in Urban Soils from Salzburg, Thessaloniki and Belgrade: An Insight into Source Identification and Human Health Risk Assessment

Pavle Pavlović  1 , Thomas Sawidis  2 , Jürgen Breuste  3 , Olga Kostić  1 , Dragan Čakmak  1 , Dragana Đorđević  4 , Dragana Pavlović  1 , Marija Pavlović  1 , Veljko Perović  1 , Miroslava Mitrović  1
Affiliations

Fractionation of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in Urban Soils from Salzburg, Thessaloniki and Belgrade: An Insight into Source Identification and Human Health Risk Assessment

Pavle Pavlović et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were measured in topsoil samples collected from parks in the cities of Salzburg (Austria), Thessaloniki (Greece), and Belgrade (Serbia) in order to assess the distribution of PTEs in the urban environment, discriminate natural (lithogenic) and anthropogenic contributions, identify possible sources of pollution, and compare levels of pollution between the cities. An assessment of the health risks caused by exposure to PTEs through different pathways was also conducted. The study revealed that, with the exception of Pb in Salzburg, levels of PTEs in the soils in polluted urban parks were higher than in unpolluted ones, but still lower than those recorded in other European soils. Results of sequential analyses showed that Al, Cr, and Ni were found in residual phases, proving their predominantly lithogenic origin and their low mobility. In contrast, the influence of anthropogenic factors on Cu, Pb, and Zn was evident. Site-dependent variations showed that the highest concentrations of As, Cu, Pb, and Zn of anthropogenic origin were recorded in Salzburg, while the highest levels of Al, Cr, and Ni of lithogenic origin were recorded in Belgrade and Thessaloniki, which reflects the specificity of the geological substrates. Results obtained for the health risk assessment showed that no human health risk was found for either children or adults.

Keywords: health risk assessment; mobility; potentially toxic elements (PTEs); sequential extraction; sources of PTEs; urban soils.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The study sites in Salzburg, Belgrade, and Thessaloniki.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Partitioning of Al, As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in urban soil samples. Proportions of elements in the acid-soluble/exchangeable phase, bound to Fe/Mn oxides, bound to organic matter, and in the residual phase.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Q-mode cluster analysis dendrograms of the cumulative sub-datasets representing the sequential steps for all of the sites.
Figure 4
Figure 4
PCA loading plot for urban soils. Graphic score for soil at the examined sites.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Non-carcinogenic (HQ, HI) and carcinogenic (CR, TRC) indices for children and adults from PTEs in soil.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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