September 2013 Vol. 1 No. 7

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Full Length Research Paper

Assessment of the potential pollution of cadmium, nickel and lead in the road-side dust in the Karkh district of Baghdad City and along the highway between Ramadi and Rutba, West of Iraq

Salih Muhammad Awadh

Department of Geology, College of Science, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Al-Jaderiya, Iraq, P.O. Box: 47182

E-mail: silihauad2000@yahoo.com; Mobile: +964 7901214030

Accepted August 18, 2013

Abstract

Road-side dust samples were collected from selected areas near the fuel stations in the Karkh district of Baghdad city the capital of Iraq as well as both sides of the highway between Ramadi and Rutba. In order to assess the probable pollution level of heavy metals (Cd, Ni and Pb) in the study areas, heavy metal contents were determined in the roadside dust using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The extent of traffic contribution to road-side dust was assessed by comparing the metal concentrations in road-side dust to those of Upper Continental Crust background considering a Cd background of 0.098 mg/km, Ni background of 44 mg/km and Pb background of 16 mg/km using Geo-accumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF) and Pollution Load Index (PLI). The roadside dust contained relatively elevated levels of heavy metals. Metals that were added to the soil were calculated; the average of Cd, Ni and Pb in Baghdad is 0.17, 25.5 and 14.8 mg/kg, in the north of the highway is 0.14, 23.4 and 14.7 mg/kg, and in the south of the highway is 0.2, 27.4 and 15.6 mg/km. The higher averages these metals were recorded in south of the highway. The assessing methods revealed that the studied areas impacted with considerable quantity of metals. The distribution pattern of the concentrations of metals was affected essentially by exhausted gases emitted from transportation automobile. The direction of the prevailing wind played a major role in the transport of the pollutants causing an increase in metal concentrations towards the south side of the highway.

Keywords: Road-dust, Geo-accumulation index. Contamination factor. Pollution Load Index, Pollution. Heavy metals. Baghdad. Iraq