Assessment of the Environmental Situation of Some Heavy Metals for Selected Roadside Dust in Basrah Governorate, Southern Iraq

Abstract Basrah Governorate is one of the economically important governorates in southern Iraq, as it represents the headquarters of international oil companies. However, it is severely polluted, particularly with petroleum chemicals and hydrocarbons. The purpose of this paper was to assess the environmental state of a few selected sites within the Basrah Governorate and to provide a baseline for managing urban soil pollution and reducing potential environmental hazards. The study gathered roadside dust samples from six sites in the Basrah Governorate: Al-Garma, Sa,ad Square, Al-Tanumah, Al-Shuaiba, Al-Faw, and Al-Zubair. Heavy metal concentrations were measured (nickel, lead, cadmium, and chromium) in these soils; the contamination factor (CF) was calculated, and the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) was then computed to evaluate the soil contamination and link the pollution by heavy metals to potential sources. The results indicated that the nickel, lead, cadmium, and chlorine concentrations are higher than the usual limit in Al-Shuaiba area because of its closeness to oil wells and places of extraction. Additionally, it was discovered that Al-Zubair and Al-Shuaiba have significant cadmium pollution using the contamination factor. The results also show that the geoaccumulation index indicates that there has been severe lead, chromium, and nickel accumulation in all studied locations as a result of the area's rapid and uncontrolled urban development.