Eid Mohamed Hamdy, Tamma Ahmed A, Saeed Omar, Székács András, Abukhadra Mostafa R, El-Sherbeeny Ahmed M, Bence Czímer, Mikita Viktoria, Kovács Attila, Szűcs Péter
Institute of Environmental Management, Faculty of Earth Science, University of Miskolc, Miskolc, 3515, Hungary.
Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 65211, Egypt.
Sci Rep. 2024 Aug 1;14(1):17805. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-68854-1.
The current research study evaluated the health and environmental risks issues associated with potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the complex terminal aquifer located in the Algerian desert. The methods used included principal component and cluster (dendrogram) analysis to estimate source of ions and contamination. Various indices such as the Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HPI), Metal Index, hazard quotient, hazard index (HI), and cancer risk (CR) were applied to assess both environmental and human health risks. Furthermore, the Monte Carlo method was applied for probabilistic assessment of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks through oral and dermal exposure routes in both adults and children. The results revealed that approximately 16% of the samples fell within the low pollution category (HPI < 100), indicating relatively lower levels of heavy metal contamination. However, the remaining 84% of the samples exhibited high pollution levels, indicating a significant presence of heavy metal pollutants in the northeastern part of the investigated area. The calculated average risk index (RI) for the collected samples was 18.99, with a range from 0.03 to 103.21. This indicates that a large portion, 82% of the samples, could cause low ecological risk (RI < 30), whereas the remaining 18% indicate a significant environmental pollution risk. The HI for oral ingestion showed that adults had HI values ranging from 0.231 to 1.54, while children exhibited higher values, ranging from 0.884 to 5.9 (Fig. 5a). For dermal exposure, HI values in adults ranged from 2.71E-07 to 8.74E-06 and in children, from 2.18E-06 to 7.03E-05. These findings highlight the potential non-carcinogenic risks associated with oral exposure to PTEs and underscore the increased vulnerability of children to metals such as Fe, Mn, Pb, and Cr. Most samples showed CR exceeding 1 × 10 for chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb), indicating a significant vulnerability to carcinogenic effects in both children and adults.
当前的研究评估了位于阿尔及利亚沙漠的复杂终端含水层中与潜在有毒元素（PTEs）相关的健康和环境风险问题。所使用的方法包括主成分分析和聚类（树状图）分析，以估计离子来源和污染情况。应用了各种指数，如重金属污染指数（HPI）、金属指数、危害商、危害指数（HI）和癌症风险（CR），来评估环境和人类健康风险。此外，采用蒙特卡罗方法通过成人和儿童经口和经皮暴露途径对致癌和非致癌风险进行概率评估。结果显示，约16%的样本属于低污染类别（HPI < 100），表明重金属污染水平相对较低。然而，其余84%的样本呈现出高污染水平，表明在调查区域的东北部存在大量重金属污染物。所采集样本的计算平均风险指数（RI）为18.99，范围从0.03至103.21。这表明，大部分（82%）样本可能导致低生态风险（RI < 30），而其余18%表明存在重大环境污染风险。经口摄入的HI显示，成人的HI值范围为0.231至1.54，而儿童的值更高，范围为0.884至5.9（图5a）。对于经皮暴露，成人的HI值范围为2.71E - 07至8.74E - 06，儿童的范围为2.18E - 06至7.03E - 05。这些发现突出了经口接触PTEs相关的潜在非致癌风险，并强调了儿童对铁、锰、铅和铬等金属的易感性增加。大多数样本显示铬（Cr）和铅（Pb）的CR超过1×10，表明儿童和成人对致癌作用均有显著易感性。
