Volume 17, Issue 3 (12-2024)                   ijhe 2024, 17(3): 441-458 | Back to browse issues page

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Malvandi H. Ecological and human risk assessment of some heavy metals in the dust of elementary schools in selected areas of Mashhad city. ijhe 2024; 17 (3) :441-458
URL: http://ijhe.tums.ac.ir/article-1-6904-en.html
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran AND EthnoBiology Core (EBC), Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Khorasan Razavi, Iran AND Founding Member of the NGO, Hakim Institute for Wildlife Cooperation, Research and Rehabilitation, Sabzevar, Khorasan Razavi, Iran , h.malvandi@hsu.ac.ir
Abstract:   (48 Views)
Background and Objective: Dust particles in urban environments are often contaminated with heavy metals, posing significant health risks, particularly to children. Schools are one of the environments where children are exposed to dust particles. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the concentration of heavy metals in the dust collected from Mashhad schools and to assess the associated health risks.
Materials and Methods: Dust samples were collected from 27 schools in the fall of 2022 using a brush.  The values of various indices were estimated, including the geoaccumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), enrichment index (EF), potential ecological risk index (PERI), and health risk indices such as hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI).
Results: The average concentrations of cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), aluminum (Al), lead (Pb), and barium (Ba) were 9.63, 18538.58, 84017.79, 11270.42, 32.07 and 111.56 µg/g, respectively. The Igeo values ranged from -3.69 to 1.51, while the CF values ranged from 0.16 to 4.26. The results of the pollution indices indicated that most of the studied elements were at the first level of pollution, suggesting that the degree of pollution was negligible or low. Additionally, the HQ and HI values were both less than 1.
Conclusion: Overall, the concentrations of the studied elements were not a concern, remaining at uncontaminated levels, and there was no potential health risk associated with exposure to these elements.
 
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Type of Study: Research | Subject: General
Received: 2024/03/2 | Accepted: 2024/06/29 | Published: 2024/12/11

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