Lead and antimony enrichment in soils near informal lead-acid battery repair shops in central India and associated human health risks.
AI interpretation is pending for this paper.
Open original publication →What the AI sees
Not AI summarized yet.
Research significance
Pending deeper interpretation.
Source abstract
Informal repair of used lead-acid batteries (ULABs) represent a significant yet poorly regulated source of heavy metal contamination in urban Indian. This study examined surface soils (0-5 cm; n = 39) from ULAB repair sites across three cities in central India (Bhopal, Mandideep, and Chhindwara), with semi-urban controls (n = 5), quantifying 21 elements and evaluating human health risks using the USEPA framework. ULAB-affected soils showed extreme enrichment of Pb (median: 539.8 mg/kg; IQR: 211.9-2421.3 mg/kg; ~ 48-fold enrichment) and Sb (median: 17.3 mg/kg; IQR: 5.5-39 mg/kg; ~ 29-fold enrichment), with moderate enrichment of Ag, Se, Zn, Cd, Cu, and As (~ 2.5-12-fold) relative to semi-urban control soils. Lithogenic elements showed minimal enrichment. Non-carcinogenic risk assessment indicated greater risk in children (hazard index, HI = 0.98), approaching the acceptable threshold, compared to adults (HI = 0.10), with Sb as the major contributor. Ingestion was the dominant exposure pathway, accounting for 88.6% of total exposure in children and 80.1% in adults. Although Pb lacks a reference dose, margin of exposure (MOE) analysis indicated very high risk in children (MOE = 0.08) and moderate risk in adults (MOE = 1.41). Lifetime carcinogenic risks from As, Cd, and Cr yielded total risks of 2.49 × 10⁻4 for children (exceeding the commonly accepted threshold of 1 × 10⁻4) and 2.67 × 10⁻5 for adults (within the acceptable range). Chromium dominated cancer risk despite low enrichment, reflecting its high toxic potency. Overall, informal ULAB repair activities generate distinct Pb and Sb co-contamination hotspots posing significant health risks, particularly for children, underscoring the need for targeted regulation and exposure mitigation.