{"title":"Environmental assessment of metals in road dust: what do geochemical indices really tell us about pollution?","authors":"Agnieszka Gałuszka, Zdzisław M Migaszewski","doi":"10.1007/s10653-025-02443-7","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pollution of road dust has been studied for decades because of potential health and environmental risks resulting from elevated levels of metals in this medium. In many studies, environmental assessment of road dust pollution has been made with the use of indices that were originally introduced as a tool to assess the quality of air, soils and sediments. Examples of the most popular geochemical indices are the enrichment factor, the contamination factor, the index of geoaccumulation and the pollution index. We calculated these indices using the element concentrations (Ba, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Pb, Si, Sr, Ti, Zn and Zr) in three grain fractions of road dust samples (< 2 mm, < 1 mm and < 0.063 mm) collected in the city of Kielce, Poland. The study showed that critical parameters to be considered in data interpretation are the selection of geochemical background value, the use of appropriate reference element and grain size fraction. Application of local geochemical background instead of the Earth's crust composition, grain fraction < 2 mm and appropriate reference elements are recommended for calculation of geochemical indices in road dust samples. This study shows that the use of geochemical indices for environmental assessment of road dust pollution should be carefully considered.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"47 4","pages":"128"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-025-02443-7","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Pollution of road dust has been studied for decades because of potential health and environmental risks resulting from elevated levels of metals in this medium. In many studies, environmental assessment of road dust pollution has been made with the use of indices that were originally introduced as a tool to assess the quality of air, soils and sediments. Examples of the most popular geochemical indices are the enrichment factor, the contamination factor, the index of geoaccumulation and the pollution index. We calculated these indices using the element concentrations (Ba, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Pb, Si, Sr, Ti, Zn and Zr) in three grain fractions of road dust samples (< 2 mm, < 1 mm and < 0.063 mm) collected in the city of Kielce, Poland. The study showed that critical parameters to be considered in data interpretation are the selection of geochemical background value, the use of appropriate reference element and grain size fraction. Application of local geochemical background instead of the Earth's crust composition, grain fraction < 2 mm and appropriate reference elements are recommended for calculation of geochemical indices in road dust samples. This study shows that the use of geochemical indices for environmental assessment of road dust pollution should be carefully considered.
期刊介绍：
Environmental Geochemistry and Health publishes original research papers and review papers across the broad field of environmental geochemistry. Environmental geochemistry and health establishes and explains links between the natural or disturbed chemical composition of the earth’s surface and the health of plants, animals and people.
Beneficial elements regulate or promote enzymatic and hormonal activity whereas other elements may be toxic. Bedrock geochemistry controls the composition of soil and hence that of water and vegetation. Environmental issues, such as pollution, arising from the extraction and use of mineral resources, are discussed. The effects of contaminants introduced into the earth’s geochemical systems are examined. Geochemical surveys of soil, water and plants show how major and trace elements are distributed geographically. Associated epidemiological studies reveal the possibility of causal links between the natural or disturbed geochemical environment and disease. Experimental research illuminates the nature or consequences of natural or disturbed geochemical processes.
The journal particularly welcomes novel research linking environmental geochemistry and health issues on such topics as: heavy metals (including mercury), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and mixed chemicals emitted through human activities, such as uncontrolled recycling of electronic-waste; waste recycling; surface-atmospheric interaction processes (natural and anthropogenic emissions, vertical transport, deposition, and physical-chemical interaction) of gases and aerosols; phytoremediation/restoration of contaminated sites; food contamination and safety; environmental effects of medicines; effects and toxicity of mixed pollutants; speciation of heavy metals/metalloids; effects of mining; disturbed geochemistry from human behavior, natural or man-made hazards; particle and nanoparticle toxicology; risk and the vulnerability of populations, etc.
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