Estimation of Risk to the Eco-Environment and Human Health of Using Heavy Metals in the Uttarakhand Himalaya, India
Source abstract
Abstract
In the modern era, due to the rapid increase in urbanization and industrialization in the vicinity of the Himalayas, heavy metals contamination in soil has become a key priority for researchers working globally; however, evaluation of the human and ecological risks mainly in hilly areas remains limited. In this study, we analyzed indices like the contamination factor (CF), degree of contamination (DC), enrichment factor (EF), geochemical index (Igeo), pollution ecological risk index (PERI), and pollution load index (PLI), along with cancer risk (CR) and hazard indices (HI), to ascertain the eco-environmental and human risks of using heavy metals in datasets collected from 168 sampling locations in Uttarakhand, India. The evaluation calculated of Igeo, EF, and CF suggests that represented soil samples were moderately contaminated and highly augmented with Rb, while PERI (75.56) advocates a low ecological risk. Further, PLI and DC (PLI: 1.26; DC: 36.66) show a possible health risk for the native population in the vicinity of the studied catchment. The hazard index (HI) is estimated greater than 1 (HI > 1) for Cr and Mn, representing a possible risk for cancer. However, adults are free from cancer risk, and other studied elements have been reported as noncarcinogenic. This assessment gives important information to policymakers, environmentalists, and foresters for taking mitigation measures in advance to mitigate the potential future risk of soil pollution on humans, ecology, and the environment.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Heavy metals in environment · Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping · Radioactivity and Radon Measurements
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Geobiotec Research Centre, Department of Geosciences, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Central MugaEri Research and Training Institute, Central Silk Board, Jorhat, Assam 785000, India
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, H.N.B. Garhwal University (A Central University), Srinagar Garhwal 249161, Uttarakhand, India
Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), Department of Earth Sciences, University of Coimbra, Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal
Funding
FCT
References (100+)
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