ECOLOGICAL AND HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METALS POLLUTION IN SOIL AROUND THE THERMAL POWER PLANT “NIKOLA TESLA A”

Abstract

Ecological and health hazards were assessed based on the concentrations of selected heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in thirty surface soil samples taken from the sites around the largest Serbian thermal power plant. Ecological risk caused by heavy metals was estimated through pollution indices whose values indicated low to moderate ecological risks. Health hazard associated with residents’ exposure to heavy metals in soil was calculated applying the U.S. EPA model. The ingestion of soil was the most important exposure pathway. The risk assessment showed that exposure to Co, Fe, and Mn would result in an unacceptable non-carcinogenic risk for children. Cr and Pb were reported to significantly contribute to a carcinogenic risk, while total carcinogenic risk remained within the acceptable non-hazardous range.