Abstract
The high rate of hydrocarbon production in Ahvaz oilfield, is probably linked to environmental pollution, in particular in soils. In this study, 21 soil samples were collected and analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry to determine the degree of contamination and health risk by different computed indices. The results based on the geochemical index of an enrichment metal factor showed extremely high enrichment levels of Pb in the studied soils. The potential ecological risk index is reported in four regions with severe environmental issue, which included a sample of contaminated soil around the well and three samples of soil contaminated with petroleum-related drilling wastes. Health risk assessment of heavy metals in the region’s soil was studied. In the adults’ group, the risk of non-carcinogenic elements (risk of diseases besides cancer) due to high levels of Pb and the risk of carcinogenic ones, by As and Cr, threatened the health of exposed people. In the children’s group, the risk of non-carcinogenic factors was due to high levels of Pb and As. The risk of carcinogenic impact of Cr and Pb reaches levels threatening the health of exposed children. Due to the regional climate and the location of the petroleum field with respect to the dominant wind direction, it is likely that in the near future, the region will be a source of contaminated dusts and likely transferred contaminated soils to the residential and urban areas, which would be a health threat for residents of area.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adeli F (2017) Investigation and study of pollution from wastes of drilling wells in Ahvaz Oil Field from Environmental geological perspective. Shahid Chamran university of Ahvaz, Masters
Adimalla N, Haike W (2018) Distribution, contamination, and health risk assessment of heavy metals in surface soils from northern Telangana. India. Arab J Geosci 11:684
Afkhami F, Karbassi F, Nasrabadi T, Vosoogh A (2013) Impact of oil excavation activities on soil metallic pollution, case study of an Iran southern oil field. Environ Earth Sci 70:1219–1224
Atuanya EJ (1987) Effect of oil pollution on physical and chemical properties of soil: a case study of waste oil contaminated delta soil in Bendel State, Nigeria. J Appl Sci 55:155–176
Barraza F, Maurice L, Uzu G, Becerra S, López F, Ochoa-Herrera V, Ruales J, Schreck E (2018) Distribution, contents and health risk assessment of metal (loid) s in small-scale farms in the Ecuadorian Amazon: an insight into impacts of oil activities. Sci Total Environ 622:106–120
Benhaddya ML, Hadjel M (2014) Spatial distribution and contamination assessment of heavy metals in surface soils of Hassi Messaoud, Algeria. Environ Earth Sci 71:1473–1486
Bwatanglang IB, Alexander P, Timothy NA (2019) Vehicle-derived heavy metals and human health risk assessment of exposure to communities along Mubi-Yola Highway in Adamawa State (Nigeria). J Sci Res Rep 23:1–13
Center of Statistics and Census of Iran (2011) https://www.amar.org.ir/english/Population-and-Housing-Censuses
Chabukdhara M, Nema AK (2013) Heavy metals assessment in urban soil around industrial clusters in Ghaziabad, India: probabilistic health risk approach. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 87:57–64
Chen H, Teng Y, Lu S, Wang Y, Wang J (2015) Contamination features and health risk of soil heavy metals in China. Sci Total Environ 512:143–153
Ćujić M, Dragović S, Đorđević M, Dragović R, Gajić B (2016) Environmental assessment of heavy metals around the largest coal fired power plant in Serbia. Catena (Amst) 139:44–52
Diagboya PN, Olu-Owolabi BI, Adebowale KO (2015) Effects of time, soil organic matter, and iron oxides on the relative retention and redistribution of lead, cadmium, and copper on soils. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22:10331–10339
Diami SM, Kusin FM, Madzin Z (2016) Potential ecological and human health risks of heavy metals in surface soils associated with iron ore mining in Pahang, Malaysia. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23:21086–21097
Ding Z, Hu X (2014) Ecological and human health risks from metal (loid) s in peri-urban soil in Nanjing, China. Environ Geochem Health 36:399–408
EPA US (1989) Risk assessment Guidance for superfund. Volume 1: Human health evaluation manual. Office of Emergency and Remedial Response, USEPA, Washington DC
EPA US (2001) Supplemental guidance for developing soil screening levels for superfund sites. Peer Review Draft OSWER 9355:4–24
Farhadian babadi M, Masoodi F, Zarasvandi A (2013) Environmental survey of drilling waste: A case study of wells no. 449 of Ahvaz Oilfield. J Adv Appl Geol 2:100–110 (in Persian)
Fatoba PO, Ogunkunle CO, Folarin OO, Oladele FA (2016) Heavy metal pollution and ecological geochemistry of soil impacted by activities of oil industry in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Environ Earth Sci 75:297
Ferreira-Baptista I, Miguel E (2005) Geochemistry and risk assessment of street dust in Luanda, Angola: a tropical urban environment. Atmos Environ 38:4501–4512
Gabarrón M, Faz A, Martínez-Martínez S, Zornoza R, Acosta JA (2017) Assessment of metals behaviour in industrial soil using sequential extraction, multivariable analysis and a geostatistical approach. J Geochem Explor 172:174–183
Gowd SS, Reddy MR, Govil PK (2010) Assessment of heavy metal contamination in soils at Jajmau (Kanpur) and Unnao industrial areas of the Ganga Plain, Uttar Pradesh, India. J Hazard Mater 174:113–121
Håkanson L (1980) An ecological risk index for aquatic pollution control, A sedimentological approach. Water Res 14:975–1001
Hu G, Li J, Zeng G (2013) Recent development in the treatment of oily sludge from petroleum industry: a review. J Hazard Mater 261:470–490
Idodo-Umeh G, Ogbeibu AE (2010) Bioaccumulation of the heavy metals in cassava tubers and plantain fruits grown in soils impacted with petroleum and non-petroleum activities. Res J Environ Sci 4:33–41
Iwegbue CMA, Egobueze FE, Opuene K (2006) Preliminary assessment of heavy metals levels of soils of an oil field in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Int J Environ Sci Tech 3:167–172
Ize-Iyamu OK, Bernard AE (2007) The effects of petroleum exploration and production operations on the heavy metals contents of soil and groundwater in the Niger Delta. Int J Phys Sci 2:271–275
Jabeen S, Shah MT, Khan S, Hayat MQ (2010) Determination of major and trace elements in ten important folk therapeutic plants of Haripur basin, Pakistan. J Med Plant Res 4:559–566
Jaishankar M, Tseten T, Anbalagan N, Mathew BB, Beeregowda KN (2014) Toxicity, mechanism and health effects of some heavy metals. Interdiscip Toxicol 7:60–72
Li L, Ustin SL, Lay M (2005) Application of AVIRIS data in detection of oil-induced vegetation stress and cover change at Jornada, New Mexico. Remote Sens Environ 94:1–16
Li Z, Ma Z, van der Kuijp TJ, Yuan Z, Huang L (2014) A review of soil heavy metal pollution from mines in China: pollution and health risk assessment. Sci Total Environ 468:843–853
Lu X, Zhang X, Li LT, Chen H (2014) Assessment of metals pollution and health risk in dust from nursery schools in Xi’an, China. Environ Res 128:27–34
Luo C, Liu C, Wang Y, Liu X, Li F, Zhang G, Li X (2011) Heavy metal contamination in soils and vegetables near an e-waste processing site, south China. J Hazard Mater 186:481–490
Madiseh SD, Savary A, Parham H, Sabzalizadeh S (2009) Determination of the level of contamination in Khuzestan coastal waters (Northern Persian Gulf) by using an ecological risk index. Environ Monit Assess 159:521
Mamat Z, Haximu S, Yong Zhang Z, Aji R (2016) An ecological risk assessment of heavy metal contamination in the surface sediments of Bosten Lake, northwest China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23:7255–7265
Martin S, Griswold W (2009) Human health effects of heavy metals. Environ Sci Tech Br Citiz 15:1–6
Mehrdadi N, Nabi Bidhendi GR, Nasrabadi T, Hoveidi H, Amjadi M, Shojaee MA (2009) Monitoring the arsenic concentration in groundwater resources, case study: ghezel ozan water basin, Kurdistan, Iran. Asian J Chem 21:446–450
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance of Iran (2004) http://www.mefa.ir/Portal/home/?18011/%D8%A2%D8%B4%D9%86%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86
Morais S, E Costa FG, de Lourdes Pereira M (2012) Heavy metals and human health. In: Environmental health-emerging issues and practice. Oosthuizen J (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-307-854-0, InTech, Available from: http://www.intechopen.com/books/environmental-health-emerging-issues-and-practice/heavy-metals-and-human-health
Morillo J, Usero J, Gracia I (2002) Partitioning of metals in sediments from the Odiel River (Spain). Environ Int 28:263–271
Motyie H (2010) Evaluation of Zagros petroleum reservior an introduction for Geologist. Ariyan zamin, Tehran (In Persian)
Nasrabadi T, Bidhendi GN, Karbassi A, Mehrdadi N (2010) Partitioning of metals in sediments of the Haraz River (Southern Caspian Sea basin). Environ Earth Sci 59:1111–1117
Olawoyin R, Oyewole SA, Grayson RL (2012) Potential risk effect from elevated levels of soil heavy metals on human health in the Niger delta. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 85:120–130
Onwukwe SI, Nwakaudu MS (2012) Drilling wastes generation and management approach. Int J Environ Sci Dev 3:252
Osuji I, Achugasim O (2010) Trace metals and volatile aromatic hydrocarbon content of Ukpeliede-I oil spillage site, Niger Delta, Nigeria. J Appl Sci Environ Manag 14:2
Pekey H (2006) Heavy metal pollution assessment in sediments of the Izmit Bay, Turkey. Environ Monit Assess 123:219–231
Qing X, Yutong Z, Shenggao L (2015) Assessment of heavy metal pollution and human health risk in urban soils of steel industrial city (Anshan), Liaoning, Northeast China. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 120:377–385
Rastmanesh F, Mousavi M, Zarasvandi A, Edraki M (2017) Investigation of elemental enrichment and ecological risk assessment of surface soils in two industrial port cities, southwest Iran. Environ Earth Sci 76:717
Reis DRJC (1996) Environmental control in petroleum engineering. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas
Saeedi M, Li LY, Salmanzadeh M (2012) Heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: pollution and ecological risk assessment in street dust of Tehran. J Hazard Mater 227:9–17
Salehi MH, Beni OH, Harchegani HB, Borujeni IE, Motaghian HR (2011) Refining soil organic matter determination by loss-on-ignition. Pedosphere 21:473–482
Shi G, Chen Z, Bi C, Wang L, Teng J, Li Y, Xu S (2011) A comparative study of health risk of potentially toxic metals in urban and suburban road dust in the most populated city of China. Atmos Environ 45:764–771
Siegel FR (2002) Environmental geochemistry of potentially toxic metals. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg
Sun Y, Zhou Q, Xie X, Liu R (2010) Spatial, sources and risk assessment of heavy metal contamination of urban soils in typical regions of Shenyang, China. J Hazard Mater 174:455–462
Sun G, Li Z, Liu T, Chen J, Wu T, Feng X (2017) Metal exposure and associated health risk to human beings by street dust in a heavily industrialized city of Hunan province, central China. Int J Environ Res Public Health 14:261
USEPA (2011) Regional Screening Level Table (RSL) for Chemical Contaminants at Superfund Sites. United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC
Wang J, Liu W, Yang R, Zhang L, Ma J (2013) Assessment of the potential ecological risk of heavy metals in reclaimed soils at an opencast coal mine. Disaster Adv 6:366–377
Wang G, Zhang S, Xiao L, Zhong Q, Li L, Xu G, Deng O, Pu Y (2017) Heavy metals in soils from a typical industrial area in Sichuan, China: spatial distribution, source identification, and ecological risk assessment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24:16618–16630
Wei B, Yang L (2010) A review of heavy metal contaminations in urban soils, urban road dusts and agricultural soils from China. Microchem J 94:99–107
Wei B, Jiang F, Li X, Mu S (2010) Heavy metal induced ecological risk in the city of Urumqi, Nw China. Environ Monit Assess 160:33–45
Xu L, Wang T, Luo W, Ni K, Liu S, Wang L, Li Q, Lu Y (2013) Factors influencing the contents of metals and As in soils around the watershed of Guanting Reservoir, China. J Environ Sci 25:561–568
Zarasvandi A, Carranza V, Moore F, Rastmanesh F (2011) Spatio-temporal occurrences and mineralogical–geochemical characteristics of airborne dusts in Khuzestan Province (southwestern Iran). J Geochem Explor 111:138–151
Zarasvandi A, Heydari M, Lahijanzadeh A, Jalali S, Rezaie M, Saed M, Fereydooni Z (2018) Element composition and environmental indicators of heavy metals in dust storms in Khuzestan province. Agric Eng 41:105–126 (In Persian)
Zhao H, Xia B, Fan C, Zhao P, Shen S (2012) Human health risk from soil heavy metal contamination under different land uses near Dabaoshan Mine, Southern China. Sci Total Environ 417:45–54
Zhao Q, Wang Y, Cao Y, Chen A, Ren M, Ge Y, Yu Z, Wan S, Hu A, Bo Q (2014) Potential health risks of heavy metals in cultivated topsoil and grain, including correlations with human primary liver, lung and gastric cancer, in Anhui province, Eastern China. Sci Total Environ 470:340–347
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the Research Council of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz for financial support (Grant Number: SCU.EG98.203). Authors also would like to thank the National Iranian South Oil Company for their assistance in field studies and sample collection. Two anonymous reviewers considerably increased the quality of the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.
Additional information
Editorial responsibility: M. Abbaspour.
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rastmanesh, F., Shalbaf, F., Moradi, R. et al. Health risk assessment of heavy metals in Ahvaz oilfield using environmental indicators. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 17, 4669–4678 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-020-02811-z
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-020-02811-z