Children’s health risk assessment based on the content of toxic metals Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn in urban soil samples of Podgorica, Montenegro

Due to their low tolerance to pollutants and hand-to-mouth pathways the health risk is very high in children’s population. The aim of this study was to evaluate risk to children’s health based on the content of heavy metals in urban soil samples from Podgorica, Montenegro. This study included the investigation of several toxic metals such as Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn in soil samples from public parks and playgrounds. Sampling was conducted in a period October-November, 2012. Based on cluster analysis, soil samples were divided into two groups related to similarity of metal content at examined locations: the group I – nearby recreational or residential areas of the city, and the group II – near traffic roads. Concentration of toxic metals in urban soil samples were determined by a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (Pb and Cd) and by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry technique after microwave digestion. Due to exposure to urban soil, non-cancerogenic index hazardous index (HI) for children was estimated using 95th percentile values of total metal concentration. The value of the total (ingestion, dermal and inhalation) HI is calculated for maximum, minimum and the average concentration of metals for children. Mean concentrations of Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn in the surface layer of the studied urban soils were 85.91 mg/kg, 2.8 mg/kg, 52.9 mg/kg and 112.5 mg/kg, respectively.