10.57647/J.AP.2025.0902.23

Health Risk Assessment and Source Identification of Potentially Toxic Elements Contamination in the Soils of Agricultural Lands in Shazand Region, Markazi Province, Iran

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  • Shahrzad Oskouei1,
  • Hamid Toranjzar*1,
  • Abbas Ahmadi2,
  • Amir Hossein Baghaie3,
  • Javad Varvani1,
  1. Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Ar.C., Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran
  2. Food Security Research Centre, Ar.C., Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran
  3. Department of Soil Science, Ar.C., Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran

Received: 2025-09-02

Accepted: 2025-10-25

Published in Issue 2025-12-31

Copyright (c) 2025 Shahrzad Oskouei, Hamid Toranjzar, Abbas Ahmadi, Amir Hossein Baghaie, Javad Varvani (Author)

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Oskouei, S., Toranjzar, H., Ahmadi, A., Baghaie, A. H., & Varvani, J. (2025). Health Risk Assessment and Source Identification of Potentially Toxic Elements Contamination in the Soils of Agricultural Lands in Shazand Region, Markazi Province, Iran. Anthropogenic Pollution, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.57647/J.AP.2025.0902.23
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Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate the health risk assessment and the sources of metals (Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, Nickel, Zinc and Copper) in agricultural soils in Shazand region, Iran. The data was collected from 90 surface soil samples (0-5 cm). US EPA methodology was used for risk assessment and epidemiological study-based risk assessment. Moreover, the sources of these toxic elements using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were investigated. The results showed that the mean concentrations of Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn, and as of 90 topsoil samples exceeded the average world soils values, except for Cu.  Multivariate statistical analysis showed that Pb and Zn originated from common anthropogenic sources related to industrialization, whereas Cu and Ni are probably associated with geological sources. The total non-cancer risk values for adults and children were 0.72 and 7.95, respectively, and the total carcinogenic risks were 8.46E-05 and 2.69E-04, respectively. The non-carcinogenic risk for children was above the threshold level, but low for adults. The total potential carcinogenic health risks for children exceeded the threshold of 1E-04 indicating a high carcinogenic risk for them, whereas the risk for adults was considered acceptable. Furthermore, As was the primary hazardous metal to human health, followed by Cd and Ni. These findings can assist governmental agencies in implementing targeted control strategies to prevent the contamination of toxic elements.

Keywords

  • Heavy metal contamination,
  • Human health risk evaluation,
  • Multivariate statistical analysis,
  • Anthropogenic and geogenic influences,
  • Shazand agricultural soils (Iran)
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