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Assessment of metal pollution in urban road dusts from selected highways of the Greater Toronto Area in Canada

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment volume 185, pages 1847–1858 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

Over the last several decades, there has been increased attention on the heavy metal contamination associated with highways because of the associated health hazards and risks. Here, the results are reported of an analysis of the content of metals in roadside dust samples of selected major highways in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. The metals analysed are lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), calcium (Ca), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe). In the samples collected, the recorded mean concentrations (in parts per million) are as follows: Cd (0.51), Cu (162), Fe (40,052), Cr (197.9), K (9647.6), Mg (577.4), Ca (102,349), Zn (200.3), Mn (1202.2), Pb (182.8) and Ni (58.8). The mean concentrations for the analysed samples in the study area are almost all higher than the average natural background values for the corresponding metals. The geo-accumulation index of these metals in the roadside dust under study indicates that they are not contaminated with Cr, Mn and Ca; moderately contaminate with Cd and K; strongly contaminated with Fe and Mg; strongly to extremely contaminated with Ni and Pb; and extremely contaminated with Cu and Zn. The pollution load index (PLI) is used to relate pollution to highway conditions, and the results show that PLI values are slightly low at different samples collected from Highways 401 and 404 and high in many samples collected from Highway 400 and the Don Valley Parkway. Highway 400 exhibits the highest PLI values.

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Acknowledgment

The project was supported by the Research Centre, College of Science, King Saud University.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology and Geophysics, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Y. Nazzal

  2. Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, ON, L1H 7 K4, Canada

    Marc A. Rosen

  3. Geomatics Engineering Department, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, AB, T2N1N4, Canada

    Abdulla M. Al-Rawabdeh

Authors
  1. Y. Nazzal
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  2. Marc A. Rosen
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  3. Abdulla M. Al-Rawabdeh
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Correspondence to Y. Nazzal.

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Nazzal, Y., Rosen, M.A. & Al-Rawabdeh, A.M. Assessment of metal pollution in urban road dusts from selected highways of the Greater Toronto Area in Canada. Environ Monit Assess 185, 1847–1858 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-012-2672-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-012-2672-3

Keywords

  • Metals
  • Contamination
  • Greater Toronto Area
  • Highways
  • Roadside dust