JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

Long- term exposure to street dust because of the potential toxicity of heavy metals can cause harmful effects on the human's health by inhalation, ingestion and dermal contact. In this study, 25 dust samples were collected from the sidewalks of the main streets of Ilam and analyzed by inductively coupled spectroscopy (ICP- OES) method. The mean concentration of the studied metals was: Pb (58.80), Zn (213.24), Cu (63.12), Cr (45.84), Cd (0.37), Ni (43.73) V (30.92) and As (5.00) (mg / kg). Based on the average value of the potential ecological risk (Er), the heavy metals of Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni and V had a low ecological risk and Cd showed a moderate one. The highest non- carcinogenic risk (HQ) in children and adults was related to As through ingestion and Cr through the dermal contact pathway; on the other hand, the lowest amount was due to the Cd via the inhalation. Cumulative non- carcinogenic hazard (HI) of all heavy metals in the street dust have been found to be higher for children rather than adults. In both age groups, Cr and Pb had the highest and lowest risk of carcinogenicity (RI), respectively. The obtained results, therefore, indicate that the main source of heavy metals in the study area is anthropogenic sources such as traffic, industrial facilities and fossil fuels burning.