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Assessing the contamination level, sources and risk of potentially toxic elements in urban soil and dust of Iranian cities using secondary data of published literature

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Abstract

Research in urban geochemistry has been expanding globally in recent years, following the trend of the ever-increasing human population living in cities. Environmental problems caused by non-degradable pollutants such as metals and metalloids are of particular interest considering the potential to affect the health of current and future urban residents. In comparison with the extensive global research on urban geochemistry, Iranian cities have not received sufficient study. However, rapid and often uncontrolled urban expansion in Iran over recent years has contributed to an increasing number of studies concerning contamination of urban soil and dust. The present work is based on a comprehensive nationwide evaluation and intercomparison of published quantitative datasets to determine the contamination levels of Iranian cities with respect to potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and assess health risks for urban population. Calculation of geoaccumulation, pollution, and integrated pollution indices facilitated the identification of the elements of most concern in the cities, while both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks have been assessed using a widely accepted health-risk model. The analysis of secondary, literature data revealed a trend of contamination, particularly in old and industrial cities with some alarming levels of health risks. Among the elements of concern, As, Cd, Cu, and Pb were found to be most enriched in soils and dusts of the studied cities based on the calculated geochemical indices. The necessity of designing strategic plans to mitigate possible adverse effects of elevated PTE concentrations in urban environments is emphasized considering the role of long-term exposure in the occurrence of chronic carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health problems.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their time and efforts to read this manuscript and improve its quality by their insightful comments and suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geology, College of Science, University of Tehran, 16th Azar St., Tehran, Iran

    Mahsa Tashakor & Soroush Modabberi

  2. Department of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zographou, 15784, Athens, Greece

    Ariadne Argyraki

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  1. Mahsa Tashakor
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  2. Soroush Modabberi
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  3. Ariadne Argyraki
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Methodology and formal analysis were conducted by MT. The first draft of the manuscript was written by MT and SM validated the performances, reviewed, and commented on previous versions of the manuscript. AA performed literature search, read, discussed the results, and commented on the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mahsa Tashakor.

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Tashakor, M., Modabberi, S. & Argyraki, A. Assessing the contamination level, sources and risk of potentially toxic elements in urban soil and dust of Iranian cities using secondary data of published literature. Environ Geochem Health 44, 645–675 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-021-00994-z

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