Determination of priority control factors for risk management of heavy metal(loid)s in park dust in Mianyang City

Abstract

Abstract In order to determine the priority control elements and sources of heavy metal(loid)s (HMs) pollution in park dust, this study collected dust samples from 25 parks in the urban area of Mianyang City and measured the contents of 10 HMs. Based on Monte Carlo simulation, the probabilistic pollution levels and ecological-health risks of HMs were assessed. We found that the average contents of Zn, Co, Pb, and Cr were much higher than their background values in local soil and were influenced by artificial activities. The pollution assessment found that 5 parks were moderately polluted. The comprehensive pollution of HMs in the dust was mainly caused by Zn and Cr, and industrial source was the main contributor to Zn and Cr pollution. The contribution of As, Co, and Pb to the comprehensive ecological risk was high, accounting for 54.6%. Co, Pb, and As were the priority control HMs of ecological risk, while mixed source and industrial source were the priority control sources. HMs presented potential carcinogenic health risks to both children and adults. The non-carcinogenic risk to adults was within safety level, while some parks showed non-carcinogenic risk to children, which should be paid attention to. The source-specific health risk assessment showed that Cr and As were the priority control HMs for human health, while mixed source and industrial source were the priority control sources.

Keywords

• Park dust
• Heavy metal(loid)
• Monte Carlo simulation (MCS)
• Pollution evaluation
• Ecological risk evaluation
• Health risk assessment