Affiliation:
1. College of Geosciences and Engineering, North China University of Water Resource and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450046, China
2. Henan Joint International Laboratory of Collapse-Landslide-Debris Flow Monitoring and Early Warning, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450046, China
3. Zhengzhou Institute of Multipurpose Utilization of Mineral Resources, China Geological Survey, Zhengzhou 450006, China
4. Luoyang Institute of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, China
Abstract
Fifty-one street dust samples were systematically collected from the urban core of Zhengzhou, China, and analyzed for potentially toxic metals. The concentrations of vanadium (V), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and nickel (Ni) in the samples surpassed the background values of the local soil, indicating a notable potential for contamination. Spatially, the traffic area was the most polluted with a total heavy metal concentration of Cu, Zn, As, Pb, and Ni, while the pollution levels were lower in the culture and education area and commercial area with total concentrations of V and Mn. Seasonal variations were discerned in the concentrations of heavy metals, with V, Cu, Zn, and As exhibiting heightened levels during the fall and winter, while Mn, Ni, and Pb reached peaks in the spring season. Zn exhibited the highest mean geo-accumulation index (Igeo) value at 2.247, followed by Cu at 2.019, Pb at 0.961, As at 0.590, Ni at 0.126, Mn at −0.178, and V at −0.359. The potential ecological risk index (RI) in the traffic-intensive area markedly exceeded other functional areas. Health risk assessments showed that children were more vulnerable to heavy metal exposure than adults, particularly through the ingestion pathway. Correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis (CA) were applied in conjunction with the spatial–temporal concentration patterns across various functional areas to ascertain the plausible sources of heavy metal pollutants. The results indicated that heavy metals in the urban street dust of Zhengzhou were multifaceted, stemming from natural processes and diverse anthropogenic activities such as coal burning, industrial emissions, traffic, and construction operations.
Funder
Natural Science Foundation of China
Key Research and Development Project of Henan Province
Key Research Project of the Higher Education Institution in Henan Province
Central Plains Science and Technology Innovation Leader Project
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