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

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.