Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Contamination by As, Hg, and Sb in a region with geogenic As anomaly and subsequent human health risk characterization

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Arsenic (As) is among the most harmful toxic elements to human health with severe carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects. The present study aims to (1) characterize a site with geogenic As anomaly (Emet basin) in Kutahya, Turkey via soil (urban, agriculture, forest; n = 53 total), water (n = 11), and agricultural product (n = 19) samples; and, (2) characterize human health risks for different receptors under specific exposure scenarios. Soil As levels were very high (range, 22.4–765 mg kg−1). Previous literature suggested some evidence of Sb and Hg combined with As in mineral forms in the region; the present study found elevated Sb (up to 76.0 mg kg−1) in two regions with very high As levels, but Hg concentrations were low in the region. Soils from urban/agricultural zones (representing anthropogenic impact) did not have statistically different As levels compared with forest soils (representing low/no human impact). As water concentrations were also very high (range, 14.0–729 μg L−1), however, uptake by agricultural products was low, mostly limited to wheat (up to 0.7 mg kg−1). Exposure assessment/risk characterization showed that non-carcinogenic risk following exposure to soils was very high for children (hazard index up to 37 under reasonable maximum exposure) as well as carcinogenic risk (probability up to 1.19E−3). The risk was even higher considering intake of water, and in this case, both for children and adults (HI, 4.0–66.6; cancer risk, 1.29E−4–1.84E−2). The potential adverse outcomes of the As anomaly in the region may be grave, thus further geochemical investigation of As speciation and mobile fractions as well as gastrointestinal As bioaccessibility supplementing probabilistic human health risk characterization are recommended.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abernathy, C. O., Calderon, R. L., Chappell, W. R. (1997). Arsenic—exposure and health effects. Chapman & Hall, 1st ed., Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

  • Akdeniz, N., Konak, N. (1979). Simav–Emet–Dursunbey–Demirci Yörelerinin Jeolojisi, General Directorate of the Mineral Research & Exploration of Turkey, Compilation Report No. 6547 (in Turkish), Ankara, Turkey.

  • American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). (2013). Standard test method for pH of soils—method D4972-13. West Conshohocken: ASTM International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Banerjee, M., Banerjee, N., Bhattacharjee, P., Mondal, D., Lythgoe, P. R., Martínez, M., Pan, J., & Polya, D. A. (2013). High arsenic in rice is associated with elevated genotoxic effects in humans. Scientific Reports-UK, 3(2195), 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brannon, J. M., & Patrick, W. H. (1987). Fixation, transformation, and mobilization of arsenic in sediments. Environmental Science & Technology, 21, 450–459.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) (2001). Canadian environmental quality guidelines, CCME Documents c/o Manitoba Statutory Publications, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.

  • Davis, S., Myers, P. A., Kohler, E., & Wiggins, C. (1995). Soil ingestion in children with pica: Final report, U.S. EPA cooperative agreement CR 816334-01. Seattle: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Di Benedetto, F., Costagliola, P., Benvenuti, M., Lattanzi, P., Romanelli, M., & Tanelli, G. (2006). Arsenic incorporation in natural calcite lattice. Evidence from electron spin echo spectroscopy. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 246, 458–465.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dietrich, S., Bea, S., Weinzettel, P., Torres, E., & Ayora, C. (2016). Occurrence and distribution of arsenic in the sediments of a carbonate-rich unsaturated zone. Environment and Earth Science, 75, 1–14.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dogan, M., & Dogan, A. U. (2007). Arsenic mineralization, source, distribution, and abundance in the Kutahya region of the western Anatolia, Turkey. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 29, 119–129.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dogan, M., Dogan, A. U., Celebi, C., & Baris, Y. I. (2005). Geogenic arsenic and a survey of skin lesions in the Emet Region of Kutahya, Turkey. Indoor and Built Environment, 14(6), 533–536.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dundar A., Gungor N., Gursel T., Ozden M., Ozyegin E. (1986). Kutahya – Emet bor tuzu yatagı nihai degerlendirme raporu, General Directorate of the Mineral Research & Exploration of Turkey, Evaluation Report (in Turkish), Ankara, Turkey. 

  • Freire, A. R., Aragon, M. S., Bernard, I. O., & Peinado, F. J. M. (2014). Toxicity of arsenic in relation to soil properties: Implications to regulatory purposes. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 14, 68–979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg, S., & Glaubig, R. A. (1988). Anion sorption on a calcareous, montmorilloniticsoil-arsenic. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 52, 1297–1300.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gomez, J. J., Lillo, J., & Sahun, B. (2006). Naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater and identification of the geochemical sources in the Duero Cenozoic Basin, Spain. Environmental Geology, 50(8), 1151–1170.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goyer, R. A., Clarkson, T. W. (1996). Essentials of toxicology: Toxic effects of metals, chapter 23, McGraww-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guney, M., & Zagury, G. J. (2016). Bioaccessibility and other key parameters in assessing oral exposure to PAH-contaminated soils and dust: A critical review. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 22(6), 1396–1417.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guney, M., Zagury, G. J., Dogan, N., & Onay, T. T. (2010). Exposure assessment and risk characterization from trace elements following soil ingestion by children exposed to playgrounds, parks and picnic areas. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 182, 656–664.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Helvaci, C., & Alonso, N. R. (2010). Borate deposits of Turkey and Argentina, A summary and Geological Comparison. Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences, 9, 1–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, M. F., Beck, B. D., Chen, Y., Lewis, A. S., & Thomas, D. J. (2011). Arsenic exposure and toxicology: A historical perspective. Toxicological Sciences, 123, 305–332.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, J. Q., Ashekuzzaman, S. M., Jiang, A., Sharifuzzaman, S. M., & Chowdhury, S. R. (2013). Arsenic contaminated groundwater and its treatment options in Bangladesh. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 10(1), 18–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, T., Dubey, B., & McBean, E. A. (2015). Human health risk assessment from arsenic exposures in Bangladesh. Science of the Total Environment, 527-528, 552–560.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kabata-Pendias, A., & Pendias, H. (2001). Trace elements in soils and plants (3rd ed.). Boca-Raton: CRC Press LLC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, K. W., Bang, S., Zhu, Y., Meharg, A. A., & Bhattacharya, P. (2009). Arsenic geochemistry, transport mechanism in the soil-plant system, human and animal health issues. Environment International, 35, 453–454.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matschullat, J. (2000). Arsenic in the geosphere—A review. Science of the Total Environment, 249, 297–312.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ministère du Developpement durable, Environnement et Lutte contre les Changements Climatiques du Québec (MDDELCC) (2019). Annex 2: Tableau 1: Politique de protection des sols et de réhabilitation des terrains contaminés. Accessed on: 1 June 2019. http://www.environnement.gouv.qc.ca/sol/terrains/guide-intervention/annexe2.pdf.

  • Missimer, T. M., Teaf, C. M., Beeson, W. T., Maliva, R. G., Woolschlager, J., & Covert, D. J. (2018). Natural background and anthropogenic arsenic enrichment in Florida soils, surface water, and groundwater: A review with a discussion on public health risk. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15, 2278.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mukherjee, A., Sengupta, M. K., Hossain, M. A., Ahamed, S., Das, B., Nayak, B., et al. (2006). Health Popul. Nutr., 24(2), 142–163.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ozkul, C., Tokel, S., & Savas, M. (2011). Emet (Kutahya) Neojen havzasi topraklarinda saptanan jeojenik arsenik ve antimon anomalileri. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü Dergisi (scientific article in Turkish), 25.

  • Ozkul, C., Çiftçi, E., Köprübaşı, N., Tokel, S., & Savaş, M. (2015). Geogenic arsenic anomalies in soils and stream waters of Neogene Emet basin (Kutahya-Western Turkey). Environment and Earth Science, 73, 6117–6130.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ozkul, C., Çiftçi, E., Tokel, S., & Savaş, M. (2017). Boron as an exploration tool for terrestrial borate deposits: A soil geochemical study in Neogene Emet-Hisarcik basin where the world largest borate deposits occur (Kutahya-western Turkey). Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 173, 31–51.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rasool, A., Farooqi, A., Masood, S., & Hussain, K. (2016). Arsenic in groundwater and its health risk assessment in drinking water of Mailsi, Punjab, Pakistan. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 22(1), 187–202.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roman-Ross, G., Cuello, G. J., Turrillas, X., Fernandez-Martinez, A., & Charlet, L. (2006). Arsenite sorption and co-precipitation with calcite. Chemical Geology, 233, 328–336.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Romero, F. M., Armienta, M. A., & Carrillo-Chavez, A. (2004). Arsenic sorption by carbonate-rich aquifer material, a control on arsenic mobility at Zimapan, Mexico. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 47, 1–13.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruby, M. V., & Lowney, Y. W. (2012). Selective soil particle adherence to hands: Implications for understanding oral exposure to soil contaminants. Environmental Science & Technology, 46, 12759–12771.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sadiq, M. (1997). Arsenic chemistry in soils: An overview of thermodynamic predictions and field observations. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 93, 117–163.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Selene, C. H., Chou, J., & De Rosa, C. T. (2003). Case studies—arsenic. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 206, 381–386.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seyitoglu, G., Anderson, D., Nowell, G., & Scott, B. (1997). The evolution from Miocene Potassic to quaternary sodic magmatism in Western Turkey: Implications for enrichment processes in the lithospheric mantle. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 76, 127–147.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, R., Singh, S., Parihar, P., Singh, V. P., & Prasad, S. M. (2015). Arsenic contamination, consequences and remediation techniques: A review. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 112, 247–270.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Srivastava, S., & Sharma, Y. K. (2013). Arsenic occurrence and accumulation in soil and water of eastern districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 185(6), 4995–5002.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • TKKY (2010) Turkish regulation for the control of soil pollution (in Turkish: Toprak Kirliliğinin Kontrolü ve Noktasal Kaynaklı Kirlenmiş Sahalara Dair Yönetmelik), Official Gazette of the Republic of Turkey, issue: 27605, Ankara, Turkey.

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). (2009). Integrated risk information system (IRIS). Washington, DC: USEPA.

    Google Scholar 

  • USEPA. (2011). Exposure factors handbook, EPA/600/R-090/052F. National Center for environmental assessment. Washington, DC: Office of Research and Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • USEPA. (2017). Update for chapter 5 of the exposure factors handbook—soil and dust ingestion. EPA/600/R-17/384F. Washington, DC: Office of Research and Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • USEPA. (2019). Update for chapter 3 of the exposure factors handbook—ingestion of water and other select liquids. EPA/600/R-18/259F. Washington, DC: Office of Research and Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, S., & Mulligan, C. N. (2006). Occurance of arsenic contamination in Canada: Sources, behavior and distribution. Science of the Total Environment, 366, 701–721.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yenial, U. (2012). Sulardan arseniğin giderilmesi. M.Sc. Thesis (in Turkish), Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Cevher Hazırlama Mühendisliği Anabilim Dalı, Cevher Hazırlama Mühendisliği Programı, İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi.

  • Yolcubal, I., & Akyol, N. H. (2008). Adsorption and transport of arsenate in carbonate-rich soils: Coupled effects of nonlinear and rate-limited sorption. Chemosphere, 73, 1300–1307.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

The authors thank Dumlupinar University Scientific Research Unit for the financial support (Project No. 2015-37) and Kocaeli University Research Fund (Project No. 2018/127).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan, 010000

    Mert Guney

  2. The Environment and Resource Efficiency Cluster (EREC), Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan, 010000

    Mert Guney

  3. Institute of Hydrogeology, Engineering Geology and Applied Geophysics, Charles University, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic

    Tuna Karatas

  4. Department of Geological Engineering, Dumlupinar University, 43100, Kutahya, Turkey

    Cafer Ozkul & Recep Ugur Acar

  5. Department of Geological Engineering, Kocaeli University, 41380, Kocaeli, Turkey

    Nihat Hakan Akyol

Authors
  1. Mert Guney
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tuna Karatas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Cafer Ozkul
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Nihat Hakan Akyol
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Recep Ugur Acar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mert Guney.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

ESM 1

(DOCX 15 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Guney, M., Karatas, T., Ozkul, C. et al. Contamination by As, Hg, and Sb in a region with geogenic As anomaly and subsequent human health risk characterization. Environ Monit Assess 192, 50 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-8024-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-8024-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation