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Influence of iron mining activity on heavy metal contamination in the sediments of the Aqyazi River, Iran

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Abstract

In order to investigate the degree of contamination of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Ni) in the Aqyazi River in Iran, sediment samples were collected from the river receiving wastewater from an iron-manufacturing plant. For this study, contamination indices, geoaccumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF), and pollution load index (PLI), were used to assess contamination by the heavy metals. The results of the Igeo indicated that the sediments were moderately contaminated by Cu and strongly to extremely contaminated by Cd. Based on spatial distribution of concentrations and the Igeo, mining activity was the source of Cu and Cd in the Aqyazi River. Furthermore, the elevated Igeo of Cd at upmost northern station was not influenced by the mining activity, suggesting that there may be another upstream anthropogenic source of Cd. The CF values indicated the same trend as the Igeo. The PLI was calculated using all the metals analyzed in this study, and displayed that the sediments were not polluted. However, the PLI was re-calculated using only Cu and Cd and indicated that the sediments were polluted. Our results suggest further studies to trace another source of Cd upstream of the Aqyazi River and to investigate influence of the river waters on accumulation of heavy metals in soils and vegetables downstream.

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  • 01 August 2020

    The original version of this article unfortunately contained an error in the affiliation section and missing acknowledgment statement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Health Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran

    Behzad Shahmoradi, Sahar Hajimirzaei & Afshin Maleki

  2. Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Kurdistan, Erbil, Iran

    Jamil Amanollahi

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand

    Kitirote Wantalla

  4. Department of Environmental Engineering, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung, 25601, South Korea

    Seung-Mok Lee & Moo Joon Shim

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  1. Behzad Shahmoradi
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  2. Sahar Hajimirzaei
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  3. Jamil Amanollahi
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  4. Kitirote Wantalla
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  5. Afshin Maleki
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  7. Moo Joon Shim
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Correspondence to Seung-Mok Lee or Moo Joon Shim.

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Shahmoradi, B., Hajimirzaei, S., Amanollahi, J. et al. Influence of iron mining activity on heavy metal contamination in the sediments of the Aqyazi River, Iran. Environ Monit Assess 192, 521 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-08466-0

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