Ecological and health risk assessment of heavy metals pollution in soil around the thermal power plant “Nikola Tesla A”

Abstract

Ecological and health hazards were assessed based on the concentrations of selected heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in thirty surface soil samples taken from the sites around the largest Serbian thermal power plant. Ecological risk caused by heavy metals was estimated through pollution indices whose values indicated low to moderate ecological risks. Health hazard associated with residents’ exposure to heavy metals in soil was calculated applying the U.S. EPA model. The ingestion of soil was the most important exposure pathway. The risk assessment showed that exposure to Co, Fe, and Mn would result in an unacceptable non-carcinogenic risk for children. Cr and Pb were reported to significantly contribute to a carcinogenic risk, while total carcinogenic risk remained within the acceptable non-hazardous range.

Ekološki i zdravstveni rizik su procenjeni u odnosu na koncentracije odabranih teških metala (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb i Zn) u trideset površinskih uzoraka zemljišta iz okoline najveće termoelektrane u Srbiji. Ekološki rizik je procenjen putem različitih pokazatelja zagađenja i njihove vrednosti pokazuju niski do srednji ekološki rizik. Rizik po zdravlje usled izlaganja stanovništva teškim metalima u zemljištu je izračunat primenom modela Agencije za zaštitu životne sredine Sjedinjenih Američkih Država. Ingestija zemljišta je identifikovana kao najvažniji put izlaganja. Procena rizika je pokazala da ekspozicija Co, Fe i Mn rezultuje neprihvatljivim nekancerogenim rizikom za decu. Cr i Pb su bili jedini elementi koji su doprinosili u većem obimu kancerogenom riziku, ali je ukupan kancerogeni rizik bio u granicama tolerantnog.