An Analysis of Road Dust Samples to Understand the Influence of Vehicle Density on the Heavy Metal Accumulation in Kannur District, Kerala, India

Abstract

The present study is an attempt to assess the heavy metal buildup in road dust samples of heavy traffic areas of Narath Panchayath, Kannur district. Samples have been collected from the roadside and are analyzed using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy technique. The study also deals with health effects associated with heavy metal accumulation in the study area by calculating and interpreting the various hazard index parameters such as contamination factor, enrichment factor, geo-accumulation index, pollution load index, and degree of contamination. The concentration of heavy metals such as Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb has been quantified and reported in the ppb units. It is observed that the study area has a specific higher concentration of Fe and a lower concentration of Cd. The index parameters were calculated from the observed concentration of heavy metals and thereby pollution rate is understood. The study indicates that the metallic dust emitted from the vehicles significantly contributed to the heavy metal concentration in the area. The buildup of heavy metals is also influenced by traffic density, weather conditions, and human and industrial activities in that area. The detailed results and discussion of the present systematic investigation are given in the manuscript.