Health Risk Assessment For Soil From The İzmir City Center, Western Türkiye

The geochemical characteristics of soil horizons and specific rock types in the vicinity of Izmir city center were studied for interpretation to see the possible health risk associated with geogenic control. The purpose of this study was to interpret and assess the potential health risks associated with geogenic control. A total of 140 samples, consisting of 60 soil sites representing various soil horizons and 48 rock sites located in the İzmir city center, were collected for geochemical analysis using the ICP-MS method. The presence of potentially toxic elements (PTE) including As, Ba, Be, Cd, Co, Pb, Mo, Ni, Sb, Se, Sn, and Zn were identified, posing potential health risks. Therefore, the values of contamination factor (CF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), pollution load index (PLI), as well as health risk factors for adults and children (carcinogenic risk and hazard index) are computed.

The risk factor findings demonstrate that certain areas in the city center of İzmir pose carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic health risks to various segments of the population, encompassing both children and adults. For children, the median HI value is 0.95 (lower than unity) and the mean value is 2.02 (greater than unity). The median carcinogenic risk value for children exceeds the risk threshold of 10^-4, measuring at 2.06x10^-4, while the mean carcinogenic risk value stands at 7.32x10^-4. Elemental contributions for hazard index are mainly caused by As, Co, Pb and Sb, for risk As, Be and Ni and Pb.

The correlation between the source of PTE in soil levels and the geochemical results of rock samples from the city center suggests a potential link between contamination and geogenic effects.

 

Keywords: Medical geology, health risk, toxic elements, arsenic enrichment, Western Anatolia.