Risk of exposure to metals in soil contaminated by steel industry waste for a population in Volta Redonda, RJ

  • Bruna Garcia Pagliari Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca. Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, n° 1480, CEP: 21041-210, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
  • Maria de Fátima Ramos Moreira Centro de Estudos da Saúde do Trabalhador e Ecologia Humana. Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca. Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, n° 1480, CEP: 21041-210, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
  • Camille Ferreira Mannarino Departamento de Saneamento e Saúde Ambiental. Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca. Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, n° 1480, CEP: 21041-210, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
  • Gideon Borges dos Santos Centro de Estudos da Saúde do Trabalhador e Ecologia Humana. Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca. Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, n° 1480, CEP: 21041-210, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Keywords: environment pollution, industrial waste, metals, soil, steel industry

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify the risk of population’s exposure, by different exposure routes, to Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr, and Pb in the soil of a condominium. Six sampling points in three campaigns provided thirty-six soil samples, collected at two depths, one superficial, 0.20 m, and the other underground, between 2.00 and 3.00 m. The results show that the levels of metals in the condominium's soil are generally high. Children cannot withstand the same doses as adults since they are more susceptible and risk greater damage to health. The non-carcinogenic risk based on the hazard quotient (HQ) and the health index (HI) values for each exposure pathway and for each metal were observed to be less than (<) 1. The results showed an immediate carcinogenic risk by chromium ingestion for children. Nevertheless the combined effect for each exposure pathway (TCRI) for adults is close to becoming unacceptable after exposure to Cr by ingestion. The results suggest that contamination by metals is more likely to occur among children than adults at similar exposure levels. Thus, the condominium built on an area contaminated by steel industry waste raises concern, requiring the continuous monitoring of its population.


Published
09/08/2021
Section
Papers