Carcinogenic-potential ecological risk assessment of soils and wheat in the eastern region of Konya (Turkey)

Abstract

The drainage channel where the wastewater of Konya city center is discharged, the solid waste storage center, the soils surrounding the industrial area, the potential accumulation of toxic elements (PTE) accumulated in the wheat grown in these soils, and their effects on human health were examined. Between 1977 and 2010, the water in the drainage channel was used for a variety of crops, mainly wheat grown in the nearby agricultural areas until the commissioning of the wastewater treatment plant. Industrial facilities, solid waste landfills, and military firing areas are actively used and are thought to be important factors in heavy metal accumulation in soils. In addition, the investigation area is on the sediments of the deposits stored in the large Konya Lake depending on the geological structure around Konya and caused geogenic heavy metal accumulation as a result of the separation and transportation of ophiolitic, magmatic, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks in the region. In the research, PTE accumulation was determined in the samples of N1 (Pb, As, and Hg), N9 (Cd, As), and N10 (Cd and As) and N8 (Pb) in wheat. The carcinogenic risk factor of Ni, Al, Mn, and Cr elements in the territory of the region has been found as medium for children and adults. It has been determined that the potential source of toxic elements does not only depend on anthropogenic events but also occurs as a result of geological events.