Environmental and human health implications of heavy metals in the road dust of touristcity Guilin-China

Abstract

Environmental and human health implications of heavy metals in the road dust of tourist city Guilin-ChinaAsfandyar ShahabCollege of Environmental Science and EngineeringGuilin University of Technology, China, 541004AbstractIn this study, 78 road dust samples were collected from urban, industrial and tourist sites to investigate the distribution, accumulation and health risk assessment from heavy metals in Guilin city, as the famous tourist destination of China (10 million/year). Geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and ecological risk index (ER) were used to investigate the road dust pollution level in urban, industrial and tourist areas. Results indicate that apart from Ni and Al, all the heavy metals comprising Pb, Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr, Cd, Fe, Mn and As were markedly higher than the corresponding background value in the three functional areas. Based on the Igeo index, the study area reveals uncontaminated to moderate pollution, and the industrial area was slightly more polluted and posed higher ecological risk than urban and tourist areas. Comparatively, higher pollution level was associated with Pb, Zn, Cu in the three functional sites. Furthermore, the health risk model reveals significant non-carcinogenic risks to children from Arsenic in urban, industrial and tourist areas as hazard quotient HQing (1.64, 2.04 and 1.42) exceeds the threshold standard 1. The carcinogenic risk via ingestion (RIing) illustrate significant risk in children from Ni, Cr and As as RIing (1.00E-3) is considerably higher than the threshold standard (1.00E-6 to 1.00E-4) in the three functional areas which ultimately have great potential to cause cancer risk while no cancer risk was observed from dermal and inhalation pathway. Keywords: Road dust; pollution level; functional areas; human health risk; tourist city