ASSESSMENT OF CONTENTS OF SELECTED HEAVY METALS IN STREET DUST FROM KHAMEES-MUSHAIT CITY, SAUDI ARABIA, USING MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, GIS MAPPING, GEOCHEMICAL INDICES AND HEALTH RISK

This manuscript reports the contents of selected metals in street dust from functional areas in Khamees-Mushait city, Saudi Arabia. The metals were quantified using inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Acceptable recovery (87.2-109.3%) was obtained using spiking and certified reference material approaches. The metal contents (mu g/g) recorded the following ranges: As 3.42-44.76, Se 2.64-38.25, Sr 414.56-3692.93, Ce 0.04-0.42 and U 1.25-19.70. The principal component analysis extracted one significant component. Significant correlations (r > 0.9) were obtained for As-Se, As-U, Se-U and Sr-Ce. The cluster analysis classified sampling sites into two main clusters; one of them was represented by one site. The GIS mapping revealed heterogeneous spatial distribution with hot spots in the centers of the east side of the study area. The geo-accumulation index classified the study area at low hazardous level while the enrichment factor classified the study area at levels from minimal to moderate pollution. As reported possible adverse health effect on children while no adverse health effects were observed from As on adult and from Sr and U on both children and adult. On the other hand, As reported a non-carcinogenic risk for both children and adult.