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Distribution of Heavy metals, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Micro-plastics particles, and their potential contamination of soil in a selected area in Baghdad City, Iraq
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This study analyzed heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and microplastics in soils from six locations in Baghdad, Iraq, finding that landfill and oil factory soils had the highest contamination levels across all three pollutant categories. Cadmium showed very high ecological risk across all sites, microplastic concentrations ranged from 28–62 particles/kg, and all three co-occurring pollutants were identified as significant threats to Iraqi soil quality.
In this study, the heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), micro-plastics (MPs), and their potential soil contamination in a specific area in Baghdad City, Iraq were studied. During February and June 2024, soil samples were collected from six locations (Agricultural, plastic factory, Oil factory soil, Barren soil, residential, and Landfill soil) within Baghdad City. The total concentration of heavy metals of Pb, Cu, Zn, Mn,, Cd, and Fe in the soil samples ranges between 3.27and 26.4, 12.9 and 33.6, 24.7 and 114, 319 and 715, 0.37 and 2.19 and 603 and5142 mgkg-1 in the dry period, while it ranges between 3.07and 24.7, 12.10 and 31.51, 23.17 and 106.9, 299.2 and 690, 0.35and2.05 and565 and 4822 mgkg-1 in the wet period, respectively. The landfill soil (S6) recorded the highest values of heavy metals, which suggested that the storage of all the material caused the Accumulation of heavy metals, while the lowest average values were recorded by S5. On the other hand, the concentration of ƩPAH (S1,S2,S4 and S5 ) ranged from 0.2 to 0.8 mg/kg and from 0.21-0.82 mg/kg in dry and wet periods, respectively, While the Ʃ16PAHs in surface soil samples in S3 and S6 were more than the heavy pollution threshold (1.0 mg/kg) in both periods. It showed that a significant amount of PAHs were accumulated in the surface soils of this industrial complex. Oil Factory soil was significantly higher for all compounds, followed by landfill sites. The MPs mass varied between 2 to 20 particles kg-1 in the six samples, and the total average of MPs concentration of the sampling sites ranged from 28 to 60 particles per kg in the dry period. while The MPs mass varied between 2 to 19 particles kg-1 in the six samples, and the total average of MPs concentration of the sampling sites ranged from 39 to 62 particles per kg in the wet period. The results found that the selected site is polluted with MPs from high to low and the concentration of MPs in the wet period is higher than in the dry period, which may be related to low levels of human and industrial activities and the effect of Climate. The Contamination Factor (CF) values of heavy metals in the study area for two periods (dry and wet) were calculated, The results show that all site samples of the study area for two periods had low contamination in elements of pb, Cu, Mn, and Fe except S6 were medium contamination in Pb and Zn. While all the site samples had very high contamination in an element of Cd. Other indexes (Ecological risk index) were studied in the results of soil samples of the studied area (S1,S2,S3,S4,S5 and S6), showing that the elements Pb, Cu, Zn, and Mn, have low ecological risks Possible and falls within the environmental risk level (40> Er). At the same time, Cd was recorded in all sites of the studied area a risk Potentially environmental and falls within the environmental risk level 329>Er≤ 160. Finally, The MPs, PAHs and heavy metals especially cadmium levels in some soils of Baghdad were contaminated. This information will help manage and restore the Iraqi soils to lessen potential contamination by using new techniques of treatment.
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