Spatiotemporal distribution and human health risk assessment of potential toxic species in soils of urban and surrounding crop fields from an agricultural area, Córdoba, Argentina

PALOMEQUE, MIRIAM E.; GARRIDO, MARIANO; AVENDAÑO, MARA C.; LOJO, ANDREA; ROQUÉ, PABLO

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2021 vol. 193

0167-6369

The spatiotemporal distribution of potentiallytoxic species was studied in the topsoil of parks,playgrounds, and surrounding crop fields of MarcosJuarez City in Córdoba province, Argentina. The contentof available metals and of some pesticides used inthe region was determined. The mean values of availablemetal concentrations in all samples, expressed inmg kg−1, were 7.99 ± 6.58, 0.89 ± 0.71, 0.35 ± 0.26,and 1.50 ± 1.40 for Pb, Cr, Cd, and Ni, respectively.Pearson?s correlation coefficients, coefficient of variation(%), and principal component analysis were usedto explore whether variations in metal content wereassociated with anthropogenic factors. Agrochemicalssuch as lindane, chlorobenzilate, endosulfan, endrin,permethrin, and chlorpyrifos were found in crop fieldsoil samples. In turn, chlorothalonil, chlordanes,methoxychlor, DDT, permethrin, and chlorpyrifoswere detected in park and playground soil samples.The degree of pollution with possible effects on environmentalhealth was evaluated using the Nemerowintegrated pollution index (NIPI) and the modifieddegree of contamination (mCd). In some campaigns,the values obtained from crop fields ranged from lowto high pollution levels during periods of agrochemicalapplication. Noteworthy, in periods of low agrochemicalapplication in crop fields, a high level ofpollution was observed in parks and playgrounds. Forchildren, the hazard index (HI) values were higherthan the threshold value of 1, suggesting a potentialhealth risk. This study provides valuable informationregarding land management practices and highlightsthe importance of monitoring and implementing policiesto reduce human health risks.