The effect of traffic on levels, distribution and chemical partitioning of harmful metals in the street dust and surface soil from urban areas of Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Due to the explosive industrialization and rapid expansion of the population in many parts of the world, heavy metals are released into the environment continuously and pose a great risk on human health. Street dust and surface soil samples from very heavy, heavy, medium and low traffic areas and a natural site in Tehran, Iran, were analyzed for some physicochemical features, total and chemical fractionating of selected metals (Zn, Al, Sr, Pb, Cu, Cr, Cd, Co, Ni and V) to investigate the influence of traffic on their mobility and accumulation in the environment. The pH, electrical conductivity (EC), carbonates and organic carbon contents were similar in soil and dust samples from the areas with same traffic. The traffic increases EC contents in dust/soil matrixes, but has no effect on concentrations of metals in soil samples. Rises in metal levels with traffic were found in dust samples. Moreover, the traffic increases the percentage of both acid-soluble and reducible fractions, which are related to Pb and Zn. The mobilization of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr in dust samples was easier than in soil. The speciation of metals except Cd is mainly affected by physicochemical features in soil, though total metals affected the speciation in dust samples (except chromium and nickel).