title: The ecological risk, source identification, and pollution assessment of heavy metals in road dust: a case study in Rafsanjan, SE Iran.
abstract: Heavy metal (HM) contamination in road dust is a potential environmental and human health threat. The sources, concentrations, spatial distribution, and ecological risk of As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn in road dust in Rafsanjan City, Iran, were investigated. Pollution was assessed using the enrichment factor (EF). The potentially harmful effects of HMs were evaluated by calculating the potential ecological risk factor of individual metals (Er) and of multiple metals (RI) using the Hakanson method. Correlation and principal component analyses (PCA) were applied to identify HM pollution sources. The concentrations of HMs in road dust were higher (ca. 5-10 folds) than their natural background values. The EF and Erincreased according to the following order Cu > Pb > As > Zn > Cd > Cr > Ni and Cu > Cd > Pb > As > Ni > Zn > Cr, respectively. Thus, Cu is regarded as the pollutant of highest concern. Based on potential ecological risk index (RI) spatial distribution, all parts of Rafsanjan are characterized by significantly high potential ecological risk. HM concentration heat maps, PCA, and correlation analysis suggest that Cu, Pb, As, Cd, and Zn may have originated from the same source and follow the same spatial distribution pattern. These metals originated mainly from anthropogenic sources like copper mining and smelting plants, industrial and chemical activities, inordinate application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in farmlands, and heavy traffic. Ni and Cr are likely to origniate from the industrial activities and traffic load in Rafsanjan City.
authors.affiliation: Soil Science Department, College of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran. miladmir67@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Milad
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5309-2784
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mirzaei Aminiyan
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Nanoscience and Risk, Arnold School of Public Health, University South Carolina, Columbia, USA.
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baalousha
authors.affiliation: Soil Science Department, College of Agriculture, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Rouhollah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mousavi
authors.affiliation: Civil Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Vali-e-Asr Rafsanjan University, Rafsanjan, Iran.
authors.forename: Farzad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mirzaei Aminiyan
authors.affiliation: Soil Science Department, College of Agriculture, Vali-e-Asr Rafsanjan University, Rafsanjan, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamideh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hosseini
authors.affiliation: Soil Science Department, College of Agriculture, Vali-e-Asr Rafsanjan University, Rafsanjan, Iran.
authors.forename: Amin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heydariyan
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D002947:Cities; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis*; D004463:Ecology; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D019216:Metals, Heavy
keywords: Ecological risk; Heavy metals; Pollution; Rafsanjan; Road dust