Pollution Indices and Health Risks Associated with Toxic Trace Elements in Road Dust in Southern Tehran

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Background & objectives: Road dust pollution containing trace elements like antimony (Sb), lanthanum (La), lithium (Li), molybdenum (Mo), and vanadium (V) has been relatively overlooked.Despite their toxicity and established reference doses, there has been limited research on these elements.This study aims to assess the levels of these elements in the road dust of southern Tehran, an area with high pollution potential, and evaluate the associated health risks.Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, road dust samples were collected from the surfaces of roads in southern Tehran during a dry period.The samples were digested with acid, and the concentrations of Sb, La, Li, Mo, and V were determined using ICP-OES.Enrichment factor (EF), pollution index (PI), and Nemerow Integrated Pollution Index (NIPI) were calculated based on the concentration data.Non-carcinogenic risk was assessed through Monte Carlo simulation. Results:The average concentrations of Sb, La, Li, Mo, and V were 2.01, 14.68, 9.05, 7.33, and 58.28 μg/g, respectively.The highest and lowest EF values were recorded for Sb and Li, respectively.NIPI values ranged from 2.16 to 44.58.The non-carcinogenic risk values of Sb, Li, Mo, and V for both adult and child age groups, and La for adults, were below 1, except for the risk of La in children, which was deemed unacceptable.Conclusion: The findings of this study highlight significant levels of toxic trace elements in road dust in southern Tehran, indicating high pollution levels.Moreover, the current levels of La may present an unacceptable non-carcinogenic risk to children.Hence, greater attention towards this type of pollution is imperative, necessitating identification and control of its sources.

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