Abstract
The spatiotemporal distribution of potentially toxic species was studied in the topsoil of parks, playgrounds, and surrounding crop fields of Marcos Juarez City in Córdoba province, Argentina. The content of available metals and of some pesticides used in the region was determined. The mean values of available metal concentrations in all samples, expressed in mg kg−1, were 7.99 ± 6.58, 0.89 ± 0.71, 0.35 ± 0.26, and 1.50 ± 1.40 for Pb, Cr, Cd, and Ni, respectively. Pearson’s correlation coefficients, coefficient of variation (%), and principal component analysis were used to explore whether variations in metal content were associated with anthropogenic factors. Agrochemicals such as lindane, chlorobenzilate, endosulfan, endrin, permethrin, and chlorpyrifos were found in crop field soil samples. In turn, chlorothalonil, chlordanes, methoxychlor, DDT, permethrin, and chlorpyrifos were detected in park and playground soil samples. The degree of pollution with possible effects on environmental health was evaluated using the Nemerow integrated pollution index (NIPI) and the modified degree of contamination (mCd). In some campaigns, the values obtained from crop fields ranged from low to high pollution levels during periods of agrochemical application. Noteworthy, in periods of low agrochemical application in crop fields, a high level of pollution was observed in parks and playgrounds. For children, the hazard index (HI) values were higher than the threshold value of 1, suggesting a potential health risk. This study provides valuable information regarding land management practices and highlights the importance of monitoring and implementing policies to reduce human health risks.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales (FCEFyN-UNC) and Centro de Investigaciones de Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA) of Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET-UNC), and Centro de Química Aplicada (CEQUIMAP) of Facultad de Ciencias Químicas (FCQ-UNC).
Funding
This work was supported by (CONICET) Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, (SeCyT-UNC) Secretaría de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, and (MINCyT Córdoba) Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología de Córdoba, Argentina.
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Avendaño, M.C., Palomeque, M.E., Roqué, P. et al. Spatiotemporal distribution and human health risk assessment of potential toxic species in soils of urban and surrounding crop fields from an agricultural area, Córdoba, Argentina. Environ Monit Assess 193, 661 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-09358-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-09358-7