Ecological and Human Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in the Soil of the Ger District in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Enkhchimeg Battsengel,Altansukh Ochir,Takehiko Murayama,Sonomdagva Chonokhuu,Shigeo Nishikizawa,Davaadorj Davaasuren,Keisuke Fukushi,Solongo Tsetsgee

doi:10.3390/ijerph17134668

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate human health and potential ecological risk assessment in the ger district of Ulaanbaatar city, Mongolia. To perform these risk assessments, soil samples were collected based on reference studies that investigated heavy element distribution in soil samples near the ger area in Ulaanbaatar city. In total, 42 soil samples were collected and 26 heavy metals were identified by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) methods. The measurement results were compared with the reference data in order to validate the soil contamination level. Although there was a large difference between the measurement results of the present and reference data, the general tendency was similar. Soil contamination was assessed by pollution indexes such as geoaccumulation index and enrichment factor. Mo and As were the most enriched elements compared with the other elements. The carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks to children exceeded the permissible limits, and for adults, only 12 out of 42 sampling points exceeded the permissible limit of noncarcinogenic effects. According to the results of the ecological risk assessment, Zn and Pb showed from moderate to considerable contamination indexes and high toxicity values for ecological risk of a single element. The Cr and As ranged as very high ecological risk than that of the other measured heavy metals.

Highlights

Coal is the primary source of energy in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and accounts for approximately90% of the energy sector in Mongolia [1]
The study area placed in the Ulaanbaatar and geographic coordinates of the research area were from 47°54′28.04′’ N to 47°55′45.6′’ N latitude and from coordinates of the research area were from 47◦ 540 28.04” N to 47◦ 550 45.6” N latitude and from 106°34′06.27′’ E to 107°00′07.4′’ E longitude
The measurement results of the heavy metal concentrations in the soil sample by using the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) methods are described in this subsection

Summary

Introduction

Coal is the primary source of energy in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and accounts for approximately. 90% of the energy sector in Mongolia [1]. Ulaanbaatar has a population of 1.5 million and more than half of the households (193,529) were located in a ger district in 2019 [2]. B et al [3], a household of ger residents uses approximately 1.1–1.3 million tons of raw coal a year, Int. J. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 4668; doi:10.3390/ijerph17134668 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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