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. 2024 Oct 1;14(1):22867.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-74153-6.

Assessment of environmental and health risks of potentially toxic elements associated with desert dust particles affected by industrial activities in Isfahan metropolitan

Moslem Yazdani  1 , Hamidreza Karimzadeh  2 , Hamidreza Azimzadeh  3 , Mohsen Soleimani  1
Affiliations

Assessment of environmental and health risks of potentially toxic elements associated with desert dust particles affected by industrial activities in Isfahan metropolitan

Moslem Yazdani et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Dust particles and their associated compounds can adversely affect human health and ecosystems. The aim of this study was to investigate the concentration, health, and ecological risks of selected potentially toxic elements (e.g. Pb, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Zn, V, Ni, and As) bound to air particles generated by dust storms in the Sejzi plain desert area within the industrial district of Isfahan metropolitan, Iran. The enrichment factor revealed the highest values for Zn, Pb, and Cd which among them Zn showed the highest value (8.1) with the potential source of industrial activities confirmed by the integrated pollution index, accumulation coefficient, and ecological risk index. Regarding health risk analysis (non-cancer and cancer risks) the elements including Co, As, and Cr showed a significant risk for adults and children across all seasons. It's concluded that mitigation of air particles originated from both natural and industrial activities is necessary to reduce their relevant risks to human being and ecosystems in the region.

Keywords: Desertification; Health and ecological risks; Particulate matters (PMs); Sandstorms; Trace elements.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Locations of MDCO traps for collecting dust samples in Sejzi region (Isfahan province, Iran).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The mass of dead dust inside the MDCO traps in different months of the year.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Distribution of the main principal components of elements associated with dust particles in the study area.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Pearson correlation matrix of the selected elements in the sediment samples from the study.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Comparison of average variance analysis between potentially toxic elements and dust over a year.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
The ecological indices of selected elements in dust particles.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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