Distinct contamination indices for evaluating potentially toxic element levels in stream sediments: a case study of the
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Distinct contamination indices for evaluating potentially toxic element levels in stream sediments: a case study of the Harşit Stream (NE Turkey) Çiğdem Saydam Eker 1 Received: 16 March 2020 / Accepted: 26 October 2020 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2020
Abstract This paper revealed that the level of certain potentially toxic elements (PTEs) can be reflected in stream and terrace sediments from Harşit Stream in Northeast Turkey. The potential toxicity of these elements was established by determining and interpreting the enrichment factor (EF), contamination index (Pi), ecological risk index (E ir ), modified hazard quotient (mHQ), hazard quotient (HQ), and hazard index (HI). The distribution of PTEs in the sediment samples was non-uniform along the different sites of the stream. The change in concentration was attributed to the release of these elements from different sources (agricultural activities, industrial activities, and gasoline discharges). Results indicated that the stream sediments were locally contaminated by the following PTEs: Pb, As, and Cd based on EF values; Cu, Pb, Zn, As, Cd, and Hg based on Pi; Pb, Cd, and Hg based on Eir ; and Pb, As, Cd, and Hg based on mHQ. According to the HQ and HI values of Pb, risks were posed to human health especially to children. Meanwhile, terrace sediments were locally contaminated as follows: Zn and As based on EF; Cu, Pb, Zn, As, and Cd based on Pi; and Zn and Cd based on E ir . The HQ and HI values of As were found to be > 1, suggesting a high chance of health risk to children. The PTE levels and the local distribution pattern revealed that agricultural activities, industrial functions, and gas stations along the stream were probable sources of toxic element contamination in sediments from the Harşit Stream. These findings can help evaluate the potential toxicity risks affecting living organisms. Keywords Contamination assessment indices . Ecological risk . Health risk . Toxic elements . Stream and terrace sediments . Turkey
Introduction In recent years, potentially toxic element (PTE) contamination in environment has stimulated extensive concerns all around the world (Cui et al. 2011; Yin et al. 2018); therefore, extensive and detailed studies have been performed on the source of environmental contamination (Wang et al. 2016; Najmeddin et al. 2018; Sun et al. 2019), composition characteristics (Doabi et al. 2017; Li et al. 2018; Men et al. 2018; Khademi et al. 2019), potentially ecological risks (Liu et al. 2015; Ghanavati et al. 2018; Jayarathne et al. 2018), and health risks
Responsible Editor: Amjad Kallel * Çiğdem Saydam Eker [email protected]; [email protected] 1
Department of Geology, Engineering and Natural Sciences Faculty, Gümüşhane University, 29000 Gümüşhane, Turkey
associated (Ali et al. 2017; Masto et al. 2017; Rahman et al. 2019; Sahakyan et al. 2019; Cui et al. 2020). PTEs adversely impact the aquatic ecosystem and are increasingly becoming an important area of study in environmental sampling media. PTEs can induce
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