Potentially toxic element contamination in water and sediments of the Ergene river basin (Türkiye): ecological and human health risk assessment
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, cilt.23, sa.621, ss.1-16, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 23 Sayı: 621
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s13762-026-07424-6
- Dergi Adı: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Scopus, Materials Science & Engineering Collection (ProQuest), Technology Collection (ProQuest), Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Compendex, Environment Index, Geobase, INSPEC
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-16
- Sivas Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
In this study, the potentially toxic elements (PTEs) load of the Ergene River Basin, where industrial and agricultural activities are highly concentrated, was evaluated in terms of environmental and human health risks. Water and sediment samples were collected from five stations located in regions with dense, organized industrial zones. Analyses were conducted for arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), and iron (Fe). According to Spearman’s correlation analysis, the concentrations of Mn in water showed a moderate positive correlation with sediment (rs = 0.5), Ni exhibited a strong correlation (rs = 0.7), Fe, Cr, and As also demonstrated strong correlations (rs = 0.8), Zn displayed a very strong correlation (rs = 0.9), and Cd revealed a perfect correlation (rs = 1)Sediment analyses revealed that toxic element levels were consistently highest at the downstream station (St 5), reflecting cumulative discharges from industrial, agricultural, and domestic sources. Water-related indices showed pollution, with Metal Index values above 0.3 identifying Station 1 as the most contaminated due to Ni, Cd, and Pb. At the same time, Heavy Metal Pollution Index results confirmed high elemental pollution across all stations (83.39–94.37), with Cd as the dominant contributor. Human Health Risk Assessment showed that carcinogenic risk values ranged from 0.60 to 1.09 in children and from 0.32 to 1.01 in adults; moreover, for digestion hazard quotient values exceeded acceptable thresholds by up to 85 times in children and 76 times in adults. These findings underscore the urgent need for effective pollution control and risk management strategies in the Ergene River Basin to safeguard both environmental integrity and public health.