Khan Kifayatullah, Younas Muhammad, Yaseen Muhammad, Sher Hassan, Maryam Afsheen, Ibrahim Sobhy M, Adnan Adnan, Ali Ahmad, Fawad Muhammad, Khan Akhtar Zeb, Khan Nasrullah, Shah Izaz Ali
State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
Department of Environmental and Conservation Sciences, University of Swat, Swat, 19120, Pakistan.
Environ Monit Assess. 2025 Feb 2;197(3):225. doi: 10.1007/s10661-025-13623-4.
This research reports heavy metal pollution in riverine sediments from River Kabul, Pakistan, which could endanger human health and ecology via the food web. The results revealed a substantial special variation in the average contents (mg/kg) of chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), iron (Fe), and aluminum (Al) in riverine sediments, in the order of Fe (20,234.51) > Al (17,550.86) > Mn (375.45) > Zn (149.08) > Ni (89.11) > Cr (83.36) > Pb (45.29) > Cu (19.86) > Cd (7.48) > Co (6.28) > Hg (0.81). Among the heavy metals, Cd exhibited the highest degree of pollution along the river, followed by Hg > Ni > Zn > Pb > Al > Cr > Mn > Fe > Cu > Co. The overall contamination factor (CF) values for the sum of heavy metals were highest at monitoring site S-9, followed by S-8 > S-10 > S-6 > S-5 > S-7 > S-1 > S-4 > S-12 > S-3 > S-2 > S-1 with pollution load index (PLI) > 1, whereas the geo-accumulation index (Igeo) values of Cd and Hg fluctuated between Levels 3, 4, and 6, suggesting moderate to extreme pollution in the river. The correlation statistics determined the fate and distribution of heavy metals by establishing significant positive correlations between the specific metals of bounded sediments. The cluster analysis separates the correlated metals into Groups A and B, and Groups 1 and 2. While the principal component analysis evaluates the qualitative behavior of clustering by discerning industrial, agrochemicals, mining, and domestic wastewater discharges, leakages of lubricants along with multiple geogenic inputs, erosion of mafic and ultramafic rocks, and minimal atmospheric deposition are all potential sources of Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg, Pb, Fe, and Al contamination. In terms of risk, the contaminations of Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, and Pb in riverine sediments were 85, 100, 100, 17, and 11%, respectively, representing a rare biological influence because their value is less than their corresponding threshold effect concentrations (TECs), whereas the levels of Mn, Ni, Cd, and Hg were above their probable effect concentrations (PECs) of 100, 100, 81, and 52%, respectively, representing prominent adverse biological influence. Based on consensus-based TECs and PECs, the contamination levels of Cr, Mn, Zn, Cd, Hg, and Pb were 100, 85, 83, 19, 48, and 90%, respectively, indicating occasionally exhibited adverse biological effects on the riverine population. Besides, the overall potential ecological risk index (PERI) of Cd and Hg, in particular, exhibited the maximum pollution level ( ≥ 320), suggesting a very high potential ecological risk in the drainage that requires special attention from pollution control authorities.
本研究报告了巴基斯坦喀布尔河河底沉积物中的重金属污染情况，这种污染可能通过食物网危及人类健康和生态环境。结果显示，河底沉积物中铬（Cr）、锰（Mn）、钴（Co）、镍（Ni）、铜（Cu）、锌（Zn）、镉（Cd）、汞（Hg）、铅（Pb）、铁（Fe）和铝（Al）的平均含量（mg/kg）存在显著的空间差异，顺序为Fe（20,234.51）＞Al（17,550.86）＞Mn（375.45）＞Zn（149.08）＞Ni（89.11）＞Cr（83.36）＞Pb（45.29）＞Cu（19.86）＞Cd（7.48）＞Co（6.28）＞Hg（0.81）。在这些重金属中，Cd沿河流的污染程度最高，其次是Hg＞Ni＞Zn＞Pb＞Al＞Cr＞Mn＞Fe＞Cu＞Co。重金属总量的综合污染因子（CF）值在监测点S-9处最高，其次是S-8＞S-10＞S-6＞S-5＞S-7＞S-1＞S-4＞S-12＞S-3＞S-2＞S-1，污染负荷指数（PLI）＞1，而Cd和Hg的地累积指数（Igeo）值在3级、4级和6级之间波动，表明河流存在中度至重度污染。相关统计通过确定结合沉积物中特定金属之间的显著正相关关系，来判断重金属的归宿和分布。聚类分析将相关金属分为A组和B组，以及第1组和第2组。主成分分析通过识别工业、农用化学品、采矿和生活污水排放、润滑剂泄漏以及多种地质成因输入、镁铁质和超镁铁质岩石侵蚀和少量大气沉降等因素，评估聚类的定性行为，这些都是Cr、Mn、Co、Ni、Cu、Zn、Cd、Hg、Pb、Fe和Al污染的潜在来源。在风险方面，河底沉积物中Mn、Co、Cu、Zn和Pb的污染分别为85%、100%、100%、17%和11%，因其值低于相应的阈值效应浓度（TECs），对生物的影响较小；而Mn、Ni、Cd和Hg的含量分别高于其可能效应浓度（PECs）的100%、100%、81%和52%，对生物有显著的不利影响。基于基于共识的TECs和PECs，Cr、Mn、Zn、Cd、Hg和Pb的污染水平分别为100%、85%、83%、19%、48%和90%，表明偶尔会对河流生物产生不利影响。此外，特别是Cd和Hg的综合潜在生态风险指数（PERI）表现出最高污染水平（≥320），表明该排水系统存在非常高的潜在生态风险，需要污染控制当局特别关注。
