Contamination Assessment and Potential Human Health Risks of Heavy Metals in Urban Soils from Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA

Abstract

Heavy metal (HM) pollution of soil is an increasingly serious problem worldwide. The current study assessed the metal levels and ecological and human health risk associated with HMs in Grand Forks urban soils. A total 40 composite surface soil samples were investigated for Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, Hg, Cr, Cd and Tl using microwave-assisted HNO3-HCl acid digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis. The enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF), geoaccumulation index (Igeo), ecological risk and potential ecological risk index were used for ecological risk assessment. The park soils revealed the following decreasing trend for metal levels: Fe > Mn > Zn > Cr > Ni > Cu > Pb > As > Co > Cd > Tl > Hg. Based on mean levels, all the studied HMs except As and Cr were lower than guideline limits set by international agencies. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, Cr and Tl may originate from natural sources, while Hg, Pb, As and Cd may come from anthropogenic/mixed sources. The Igeo results showed that the soil was moderately polluted by As and Cd and, based on EF results, As and Cd exhibited significant enrichment. The contamination factor analysis revealed that Zn and Pb showed moderate contamination, Hg exhibited low to moderate contamination and As and Cd showed high contamination in the soil. Comparatively higher risk was noted for children over adults and, overall, As was the major contributor (>50%), followed by Cr (>13%), in the non-carcinogenic risk assessment. Carcinogenic risk assessment revealed that As and Cr pose significant risks to the populations associated with this urban soil. Lastly, this study showed that the soil was moderately contaminated by As, Cd, Pb and Hg and should be regularly monitored for metal contamination.