Contamination and health risk assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments from the Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia

Abstract The coastline of the Arabian Gulf attracts people throughout the year for tourism and fishing activities. The present work aimed to document the contamination and human health assessment of heavy metals (HMs) in 34 surface sediment samples collected along the Ras Abu Ali coastline. Enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF), and sediment quality guideline (SQG) were calculated and used to estimate sediment contamination, while the chronic daily intake (CDI), hazard index (HI), cancer risk (CR), and total lifetime cancer risk (LCR) were determined for human health assessment via ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact pathways on both adults and children. The averages of the HMs (μg/g dry weight) were in the following: Fe (4808) > Ni (13.00) > Zn (6.89) > Cr (7.86) > V (6.67) > Pb (3.50) > Cu (4.14) > As (2.47) > Co (1.43). Results of EF indicated minor enrichment with Ni, Pb, and As, and no enrichment with the remaining HMs. Based on CF, the coastal sediments of Ras Abu Ali showed low contamination with HMs. CDI and HI values were higher among children in comparison to adults, suggesting that children were at higher risk of non-carcinogenic exposure than adults. LCR values indicated that that no significant health hazards for people inhabited the study area from the carcinogenic Pb, Cr, and As.