Spatial variability of soil metal(loid)s driving differential human health and carcinogenic risks in coastal south-central Chile.
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Soil metal(loid) contamination is a recognized global driver of chronic human health risk, particularly for children in urban coastal settings. This study evaluates the spatial heterogeneity and human health risks of arsenic (As), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in urban soil across three structurally linked coastal localities in south-central Chile: Dichato, Tomé, and Penco. Sampling followed a systematic 500-m grid (183 soil samples), analyzed by ICP-OES and interpreted using USEPA exposure modeling and ordinary kriging interpolation. While these localities share a uniform Paleozoic basement, spatial concentration patterns suggest that localized anthropogenic inputs and distinct surficial weathering pathways potentially drive localized exposure vectors. The results reveal a demographic disparity in toxicological vulnerability, with the child population exhibiting non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk metrics approximately one order of magnitude greater than adults, primarily driven by the oral ingestion pathway. While cumulative non-carcinogenic hazard indices remain safely below the regulatory threshold (HI < 1) across all sectors, the corrected cumulative lifetime cancer risk (∑CR) for children in Penco (9.17 × 10-5) and Tomé (6.65 × 10-5), calculated using the As-oral slope factor, falls within the USEPA-defined acceptable risk range (10-⁶-10-4), approaching its upper bound. These findings underscore an environmental public health configuration that, while not exceeding the acceptable risk benchmark, emphasizes the need for targeted mitigation and continued monitoring to manage potential metal(loid) mobilization during future land-use transitions or civil construction in these sensitive coastal zones.