Health risk assessment of heavy metals in soil, plant, and water samples near "Gacko" power plant, in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

ABSTRACT

This study assesses heavy metal content in soil, water, and plant material from sites located around the lignite mine and the power plant "Gacko", Bosnia and Herzegovina. The samples were collected, prepared, and analyzed for heavy metals content using the flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Samples were analyzed for cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, manganese, and iron. To identify the relationship among the metals in samples and their possible sources, Pearson's correlation and principal component analysis were performed. Health risk assessment was applied to establish potential health risks posed to humans caused by contaminants in different environmental compartments. The results of our analyses show that most soil samples contain copper, and one of those samples had a copper concentration of more than 70 µg/g, which is a critical upper value for agricultural use. In the soil samples that were analyzed, cadmium was also detected, and its concentration was greater than 2 µg/g. Lead, on the other hand, had a concentration that was higher than the maximum permissible for unpolluted soils in 40% of the soil samples that were analyzed. Lead and cadmium concentrations in surface waters mostly contribute to a non-carcinogenic risk in the scenario of recreational swimming exposure. The presence of Cd, a highly toxic element in water, may be explained by the leaching of artificial fertilizers used in the study area, whereas Pb's origin may be geological. The results of this study recommend routine heavy metal monitoring in samples of soil, water, and plants from the examined area so that, if metal concentrations continue increasing, remedial action should be advised to prevent accumulation in the food chain.