Heavy Metal Distribution in Stream Sediments and Potential Ecological Risk Assessment in Konya Northeast Region

Abstract

The northeast of Konya (Altnekin) is one of the important centers of agriculture and animal husbandry throughout its thousands of years of history. Heavy metal accumulation is not only a problem in large settlements where people live more but also in rural areas where there is no human activity. Although some metals are important for living things, they can accumulate in the body after a certain concentration and create a toxic effect. Exposure of these toxic metals to humans and animals in a variety of ways (such as inhalation) can cause various health complications. It is also important for environmental safety to determine the geochemical properties of stream sediments that may affect the soil quality in the region. They are effective methods used to determine the extent ofs pollution by obtaining reliable results about the study area according to stream sediment quality values and indices. Important elements that accumulate and enrich in stream sediments are Ni, Cr, Mn, Hg, and As. The origin of the accumulation of these elements in stream sediments is geogenic and anthropogenic. Ni, Cr, and Mn concentrations are thought to be related to the alteration of ophiolites in the study area, while Hg and As concentration values are related to the volcanism and agricultural activities observed in the region. However, the fact that especially the stream sediments with high Hg concentrations are quite far from the region where volcanism is present, has led to the idea that it is related to the mining activities in the region with a very old history.