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Risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in intermittent rivers, “fiumara”, flowing in the Gulf of Milazzo (Sicily, Italy)

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Abstract

Increasing human activities in coastal areas need careful assessments of both environmental and human health risk. Particular attention needs rivers, as they are responsible for the drainage and transport of contaminant loads. Such aspects have been poorly investigated in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) despite they represent most of water pathways in the world. In five IRES of the highly anthropized Gulf of Milazzo (North-Eastern Sicily, Mediterranean Sea), silty-clay sediments from dry riverbed have been investigated to evaluate environmental risk by heavy metal contamination. The ICP-MS analysis, apart from a minor enrichment in Mn, showed average concentrations of Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Co, and Cd lower than warm-temperate coastal areas and European rivers, background continental crust, background shale, and to the quality guidelines for sediments (SQGs). The investigated IRES were found unpolluted, and their air-exposed riverine sediments cannot be considered responsible for human health risk. However, the slight increase in some contaminant concentrations locally reported needs to be carefully considered, since clearly associated to a condition of disorderly anthropization. Lastly, the needing to better understand the IRES role in dynamics of HMs contamination in Mediterranean, subtropical, and semiarid regions worldwide, is suggested.

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Acknowledgements

The authors extend their appreciation to the Deputyship for Research & Innovation, Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia for funding this research work through project no (RSP2024R139).

Funding

The authors extend their appreciation to the Deputyship for Research & Innovation, Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia for funding this research work through project no (RSP2024R139).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Images Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Giuseppa Di Bella

  2. Geology and Geophysics Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyad, Saudi Arabia

    Abdelbaset S. El-Sorogy & Khaled Al-Kahtany

  3. Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Salvatore Giacobbe

  4. Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Vincenzo Nava

  5. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

    Hamdy E. Nour

Authors
  1. Giuseppa Di Bella
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  2. Abdelbaset S. El-Sorogy
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  3. Salvatore Giacobbe
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  4. Vincenzo Nava
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  5. Khaled Al-Kahtany
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  6. Hamdy E. Nour
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Sampling plane and sampling collection were performed by Salvatore Giacobbe. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Di Bella Giuseppa and Vincenzo Nava. Statistical elaboration was performed by Abdelbaset El-Sorogy, Hamdy Nour, and Khaled Al-Kahtany. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Salvatore Giacobbe, Hamdy Nour and Abdelbaset El-Sorogy, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Salvatore Giacobbe.

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Abdelbaset S. El-Sorogy co-first author.

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Di Bella, G., El-Sorogy, A.S., Giacobbe, S. et al. Risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in intermittent rivers, “fiumara”, flowing in the Gulf of Milazzo (Sicily, Italy). Environ Earth Sci 83, 321 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-024-11631-0

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