Non-carcinogenic risk assessment of Hg and Cu in streets dusts of Zahedan city

Background and Objective: Street dust is an important factor in urban pollution which consists of soil, particulate matters and heavy metals. At present, over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate health risks of heavy metals in street dusts in Zahedan. Materials and Methods: The samples of street dust were collected in Zahedan. After preparation, the samples, were injected to ICP-MS for determination the amount of Hg and Cu. According to the measured concentrations, Hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) were calculated to evaluate the health risk assessment. Results: Results showed that Hazard quotient for both Hg and Cu was less than 1 for children and adult. HQ for Hg and Cu was in order of HQingestion >HQdermal >HQinhalation> HQvapour for adults and HQvapour > HQingestion > HQdermal > HQinhalation for children. HI was also less than 1. Conclusion: The value of HQ showed that inhalation of mercury vapor and ingestion were the main routes of exposure to Hg for children and adults. The non-carcinogenic risk was within the safe value (HI