Risk-based exposure assessment for multiple toxic elements encountered by children in school playgrounds and parks in the southwest region of Saudi Arabia.
Environ Monit Assess
; 191(9): 549, 2019 Aug 08.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31392440
ABSTRACT
Children are in direct contact with surface soil and may inadvertently ingest and inhale toxic contaminants while playing; hence, special attention should be given to playgrounds regarding toxic contaminants. The concentrations of ten toxic metals were determined in soil samples collected from school playgrounds and children's parks from the southwest region of Saudi Arabia. The soils were moderately alkaline (pH 7.6-8.8), the texture was dominated by sand particles (54-88%), and the organic matter was in the range of 2.06 to 4.82%. Analytical solutions were prepared by microwave-digestion using a HNO3/H2O2 mixture, and the concentrations of toxic elements were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Metal concentrations were recorded in the range of 0.014-0.087, 1.14-3.54, 0.85-23.29, 0.77-36.32, 312.6-2065.7, 285.3-822.6, 75.4-240.8, 0.00-53.12, 0.52-6.80, and 1.25-92.12 mg/kg dry soil for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn, respectively. The levels of heavy metals in the studied playgrounds were below the permissible limits, indicating insignificant influence of anthropogenic activities and can be considered as unpolluted soil. Values of the enrichment coefficient (EC) and contamination factor (CF) were found to be less than one, suggesting that the source of these elements is mainly the local soil, with the exception of Ni and Zn in certain playgrounds (CF > 1), which indicates a possible contamination from external sources. The non-carcinogenic hazard index calculated for all of the metals was below one, indicating that the exposure to heavy metal through playground soil is unlikely to produce any adverse health effect in children playing in the playgrounds.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Contexto en salud:
2_ODS3
Problema de salud:
2_quimicos_contaminacion
Asunto principal:
Contaminantes del Suelo
/
Metales Pesados
/
Exposición a Riesgos Ambientales
/
Parques Recreativos
Tipo de estudio:
Etiology_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Adolescent
/
Child
/
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Environ Monit Assess
Asunto de la revista:
SAUDE AMBIENTAL
Año:
2019
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Arabia Saudita