Ecological-health risks assessment and source apportionment of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in surface dust near...

The global demand for copper is vital for ensuring sustainable and healthy ecosystem-based regional development, as the uncontrolled release of element concentrations in surface dust samples (SDS) originating from various leaks in increasingly mining areas is paramount. This study aims to detect the presence of potentially toxic elements (PTEs), including cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) in SDS and to reveal possible human health effects. Additionally, it shows the distribution of potential ecological risk areas by adjusting the assessment area, combined with Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation in the mining area. SDS pollution evaluation was carried out together with enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (I_geo), single factor pollution index (PI), pollution load index (PLI), and human health risk assessment (HHRA), which showed an evident contamination of PTEs in the Cu-mining area. The mean I_geo values have revealed that Cd (6.91), Pb (4.12), Ni (3.53), Zn (2.96), Cr (1.82), and Cu (0.58) are significantly accumulated in the Isfendiyar Mountains, Küre, Türkiye. In the non-carcinogenic risk assessment (NCRA), the hazard index (HI) was Cr (1.88) and Pb (1.30), which indicate a potential for adverse health effects in children. Also, cancer risk assessment (CRA) indicated that Cr, Ni, and Cd posed the highest total CRA among the target metals, followed in a descending order of TCR as Cr (1.31 ± 0.28 × 10^-6) > Ni (4.64 ± 1.01 × 10^-7) > Cd (6.14 ± 1.34 × 10^-8). Furthermore, multivariate statistical analyses such as principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (CA) indicate that Ni, and Pb originate from different available sources, including mining activities with PTEs.