Assessment of Soil Contamination by Potentially Toxic Elements Around Fertilizer Factory: An Ecological and Health Risks in Bandırma, NW Turkiye

Abstract

Soil pollution is a major global concern, with a worrisome escalation in its prevalence being observed on a daily basis. This phenomenon is influenced by a range of factors, including geogenic and anthropogenic processes. The release of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) from fertilizer factories, which are anthropogenic sources, has the potential to cause soil pollution in the surrounding area. The present study investigates the physicochemical properties, PTEs concentrations, contamination characteristics, potential sources, and human health risks of soil samples collected from the vicinity of the Band & imath;rma fertiliser factory. The soil samples exhibited a range of textures, including sandy clay loam, sandy loam, clay loam, loam, and loamy sand. The mean pH, electrical conductivity (EC), lime, and organic matter contents of the soil samples were found to be 6.89, 0.31 dSm-1, 4.82%, and 5.08%, respectively. Furthermore, the concentrations of the PTEs (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn heavy metals) analysed in the soil samples were determined to be between 0.02 and 0.99 mg kg-1, 0.55 and 24.74 mg kg-1, and 0.31 and 34 mg kg-1, respectively. 66 mg kg-1, 4.48 to 423.91 mg kg-1, 2638.61 to 61801.18 mg kg-1, 86.30 to 772.89 mg kg-1, 1.45 to 118.43 mg kg-1, 3.76 to 53.31 mg kg-1, 10.30 to 159.33 mg kg-1, respectively. The enrichment factor indicated that over half of the soils exhibited contamination with Cd and Cu, attributable to industrial activities and the use of agrochemicals. In a similar way, the geo-accumulation index demonstrated that 90.63% of the soils were contaminated with Cu, with all samples also exhibiting contamination with Mn and Zn, and 59.37% with Ni. The ecological risk factor further delineated 9.37% of the soils as exhibiting a considerable degree of risk with regard to Cd, while 3.12% were deemed to present a notable risk with respect to Cu. Of the nine PTEs present in the soil, eight (Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were of natural origin, while Cu was of mixed origin. The THI (total hazard index) values were found to be less than 1 for both children and adults. This finding indicates that there is an absence of non-carcinogenic health risks for both children and adult residents. In addition, the total carcinogenic risk (TCR) values indicated that, with the exception of Cr, there were no carcinogenic risks for children or adults.