Assessment of Heavy Metal Cu, Pb, Cd Contamination in Dust in Zahedan City using Pollution Indices and GIS and Geo Statistics Technologies, Zahedan, Iran

Abstract

Assessment of heavy metal contamination is of great importance given its hazardous impacts on humans and the environment. Atmosphere is an important path for heavy metals transportation and plays a major role in the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the environment. The present research aims to assess soil pollution to heavy metals of lead, copper and cadmium in Zahedan using pollution indices and Geo statistics technology. For the study, 90 dust samples from the studied area were systematically collected randomly and the concentrations of lead, copper and cadmium were measured using a flame atomic absorption device. Geocoding indices, pollution index, ecological risk index and potential environmental risk index were used to determine the contamination level in the study area. The comparison of the mean concentration of the elements showed that the frequency of metals in the study area was Pb> Cu> Cd. Also, the index of contamination, ecological risk and environmental potential of the cadmium element are 14.18, 44.34 and 1333.03, respectively, then the other metals. The plot of land accumulation chart showed that the heavy metal content during the sampling period varies from moderate to severe/maximum contamination, so the concentration of heavy metals in addition to their natural origin was also related to human activities. The Pollution Index map (PI) also showed that the elements of copper, lead and cadmium are low, medium and high levels of pollution respectively.