Journal of Research in Environmental Health

Current Issue

By Issue

By Author

By Subject

Author Index

Keyword Index

About Journal

Aims and Scope

Editorial Board

Publication Ethics

Indexing and Abstracting

Related Links

FAQ

Peer Review Process

News

Editorial Policy

Advertising Policy

Evaluation and prediction of health and hygiene indices of heavy metals in agricultural fields in Hamidieh city: a Machine Learning Approach

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 Research Group of Artificial Intelligence Application Development in Agriculture, Environment and Medicine, Ahv.C., Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.

2 Research Group of Artificial Intelligence Application Development in Strategic Industries, Ahv.C., Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.

3 Young Researchers and Elites Club, Ahv.C., Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.

10.22038/jreh.2026.27468

Abstract

Background and Objective: Heavy metals are one of the dangerous pollutants present in soil that can cause problems for agricultural products. This study aimed to evaluate heavy metals in the soils of agricultural fields in Hamidieh city in the northwest of Ahvaz metropolis in 2024.

Materials and Methods: Sampling was carried out in the fall from 4 agricultural fields with 20 replicates. In this study, the elements in the soil were measured using an atomic absorption-plasma ICP-AES model Varian 710-ES manufactured by Agilent Company, USA. Health risk assessment and two random forest models and support vector regression of soil heavy metals were performed.

Results: The average concentrations of Cd, Pb, As, Cu, Zn and Cr were 0.58, 76, 1.46, 34.25, 174.42 and 68.95 mg kg-1, respectively. The average pollution factor, pollution degree, modified pollution degree, pollution load index, Nemro pollution index and biological hazard index of heavy metals were 1.12, 16.05, 2.67, 1.49, 3.34 and 130.99. The highest carcinogenic risk index and non-carcinogenic risk index for Cr for children were 2.72×10-5 and 2.39×10-1. Pb also had the highest non-carcinogenic risk index (2.77×10-1) for the gastrointestinal tract of children.

Conclusion: The results of heavy metals in the soil of agricultural fields in Hamidiyeh city showed that these pollutants had a high impact on the soil and caused moderate to high pollution, because the pollution load index of the studied elements was higher than 1. The evaluation of the non-carcinogenic risk index and carcinogenic risk index showed that the elements cadmium, lead, arsenic, copper, zinc and chromium do not pose a problem for human health.
 
Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Keywords

References
  1. Viana, C.M., Freire, D., Abrantes, P., Rocha, J. and Pereira, P., 2022. Agricultural land systems importance for supporting food security and sustainable development goals: A systematic review. Science of the Total Environment, 806: 150718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150718 PMid:34606855
  2. Pawlak, K. and Kołodziejczak, M., 2020. The role of agriculture in ensuring food security in developing countries: Considerations in the context of the problem of sustainable food production. Sustainability, 12(13): 5488. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135488
  3. Mihajlovic, D., Srdic, S., Benka, P., Cerekovic, N., Ilic, P., Radanovic, D. and Antic-Mladenovic, S., 2025. Potentially toxic elements in the agricultural soils of northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina: spatial and vertical distribution, origin and ecological risk. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 197(3): 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-025-13758-4 PMid:39953330
  4. Gholami, Z., Rouzbahani, M.M., Payandeh, K. and Sabzalipour, S., 2025. Health risk assessment Pb, as and cr in corn (Zea mays) of Behbahan and Dezful from Khuzestan Province, Iran. Scientific Reports, 15(1): 15580. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89281-w PMid:40320422 PMCid:PMC12050269
  5. Bineshpour, M., Payandeh, K., Nazarpour, A. and Sabzalipour, S., 2021. Status, source, human health risk assessment of potential toxic elements (PTEs), and Pb isotope characteristics in urban surface soil, case study: Arak city, Iran. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 43: 4939-4958. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-020-00778-x PMid:33210156
  6. Mansouri Moghadam, S., Payandeh, K., Koushafar, A., Goosheh, M. and Mohammadi Rouzbahani, M., 2024. Level of heavy metals and environmental pollution index in Ahvaz, Southwest Iran. Scientific Reports, 14(1): 14754. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-64192-4 PMid:38926447 PMCid:PMC11208444
  7. Pour Abbasi, H., Payanadeh, K. and Tadayouni, M., 2024. Evaluation of some heavy metals and possible health and ecological risk indicators of surface soils of the west of the country: A case study. Journal of Research in Environmental Health, 10(1): 31-47. [In persian].
  8. Jafarian, F., Payanadeh, K., Nazarpour, A., Gholami, A. and Mohsenifar, K., 2025. Evaluation of Environmental Pollution Indices of Heavy Metals in Soil around Khuzestan Steel Co. Journal of Research in Environmental Health, 11(1): 111-129. [In persian].
  9. Velayatzadeh, M. and Payandeh, K., 2020. Effect of household water treatment on the concentration of heavy metals of drinking water in Ahvaz city. Iranian South Medical Journal, 22(6): 402-414. [In persian]. https://doi.org/10.29252/ismj.22.6.402
  10. Moghadam, S.M., Payandeh, K., Koushafar, A., Goosheh, M. and Rouzbahani, M.M., 2024. Human health risk assessment and carcinogenicity due to exposure to potentially toxic elements on soil pollution in Southwest Iran. Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, 25: 101492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cegh.2023.101492
  11. Orosun, M.M., Nwabachili, S., Alshehri, R.F., Omeje, M., Alshdoukhi, I.F., Okoro, H.K., Ogunkunle, C.O., Louis, H., Abdulhamid, F.A., Osahon, S.E. and Mohammed, A.U., 2023. Potentially toxic metals in irrigation water, soil, and vegetables and their health risks using Monte Carlo models. Scientific reports, 13(1): 21220 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-48489-4 PMid:38040785 PMCid:PMC10692326
  12. Kong, F., Chen, Y., Huang, L., Yang, Z. and Zhu, K., 2021. Human health risk visualization of potentially toxic elements in farmland soil: A combined method of source and probability. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 211: 111922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.111922 PMid:33472110
  13. Moavi, Z., Payandeh, K. and Tadayoni, M., 2024. Risk assessment of health and ecological some of heavy metals in lettuce, cabbage, and soil of Dezful, Ramhormoz, and Hamidiyeh farms. Iranian Journal of Health and Environment, 17(1): 23-42. [In persian].
  14. Mousavi Mourd Ghafari, S.M., Payandeh, K. and Goosheh, M., 2023. Evaluation of cancer risk index of cadmium, lead and nickel heavy metals in agricultural lands of some cities of Khuzestan province. Archives of Hygiene Sciences, 12(4): 161-168. https://doi.org/10.34172/AHS.12.4.3.314
  15. Gupta, N., Yadav, K.K., Kumar, V., Prasad, S., Cabral-Pinto, M.M., Jeon, B.H., Kumar, S., Abdellattif, M.H. and Alsukaibia, A.K.D., 2022. Investigation of heavy metal accumulation in vegetables and health risk to humans from their consumption. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 10: 791052. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.791052
  16. Gabriella Lo F. 2010. Investigating the origin of tomatoes and triple concentrated tomato paste through multielement determination by inductivity coupled plasma mass spectrometry and statistical analysis. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 58(6): 3801-3807. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf903868j PMid:20170108
  17. Senila, M., 2024. Recent advances in the determination of major and trace elements in plants using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Molecules, 29(13): 3169. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29133169 PMid:38999125 PMCid:PMC11243047
  18. Turekian K.K. & Wedepohl K.H., 1961. Distribution of the elements in some major units of the earth's crust. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 72(2): 175-192. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1961)72[175:DOTEIS]2.0.CO;2
  19. Hakanson, L., 1980. An ecological risk index for aquatic pollution control a sediment logical approaches. Water Research, 14: 975-1001. https://doi.org/10.1016/0043-1354(80)90143-8
  20. Abrahim, G.M.S. 2005. Holocene sediments of Tamaki Estuary: Characterization and impact of recent human activity on an urban estuary in Auckland, New Zealand, Ph.D. thesis, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand,361 p.
  21. Muller, G., 1979. Index of geoaccumulation in sediments of the Rhine River. Geo Journal, 2: 108-118.
  22. Kowalska J.B., Mazurek R., Gąsiorek M. & Zaleski T., 2018. Pollution indices as useful tools for the comprehensive evaluation of the degree of soil contamination-A review. Environmental geochemistry and health, 40: 2395-2420. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-018-0106-z PMid:29623514 PMCid:PMC6280880
  23. USEPA. 2010. User's Guide (EB/OL). http://www.epa.gov/Van den Berg, R. 1995. Human exposure to soil contamination: a qualitative and quantitative analysis towards proposals for human toxicological intervention values. RIVM Report no. 725201011. Bilthoven, The Netherlands: National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection (RIVM).
  24. Abbasi, N. & Mohammadi Galangash, M., 2024. Investigation of heavy metal concentrations in agricultural topsoil of Miandoab landfill area. Iranian Journal of Health and Environment, 17(2): 343-358. [In Persian].
  25. Fisher, D.J. and Burton, D.T., 2003. Comparison of two US environmental protection agency species sensitivity distribution methods for calculating ecological risk criteria. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 9(3): 675-690. https://doi.org/10.1080/713609961
  26. Vatanian, F., Payandeh, K. and Roomiani, L., 2017. Measurement of cadmium, arsenic, nickel and lead elements in Mentha piperita and Portulace oleracea in soils of Dezful and Hamidiyeh from Khuzestan province. Developmental Biology, 9(4): 67-82. [In Persian].
  27. Moavi, Z., Payandeh, K. and Tadayoni, M., 2020. Evaluation of Health Hazards of Cadmium and Arsenic in Lettuce and Cabbage Cultivated in Khuzestan Province. Food Technology & Nutrition, 17(4): 109-122. [In persian].
  28. Angulo, E., 1996. The Tomlinson Pollution Load Index applied to heavy metal,'Mussel-Watch'data: a useful index to assess coastal pollution. Science of the Total Environment, 187(1): 19-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/0048-9697(96)05128-5
  29. Chan, L.S., Ng, S.L., Davis, A.M., Yim, W.W.S. and Yeung, C.H., 2001. Magnetic properties and heavy-metal contents of contaminated seabed sediments of Penny's Bay, Hong Kong. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 42(7): 569-583. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-326X(00)00203-4 PMid:11488237
  30. Chonokhuu, S., Batbold, C. & Chuluunpurev, B., 2018. Assessment of heavy metal pollution of topsoil in settlement area, Darkhan city. Proceedings of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, 55-65. https://doi.org/10.5564/pmas.v58i1.972
  31. Sun, H., Wan, S., Li, L. & Liu D., 2015. Distribution of heavy metals in soil and plant of reed wetland in the Dongting Lake of China during different seasons. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 29 (5): 289-293.
  32. Abosede, O.A., 2017. Review on heavy metals contamination in the Environment. European Journal of Earth and Environment, 4 (1): 1-6.
  33. Ericson, B., Otieno, V.O., Nganga, C., Fort, J.S. & Taylor, M.P., 2019. Assessment of the Presence of Soil Lead Contamination Near a Former Lead Smelter in Mombasa, Kenya. Journal of Health & Pollution, 9 (21): 190307. https://doi.org/10.5696/2156-9614-9.21.190307 PMid:30931167 PMCid:PMC6421950
  34. Ravankhah, N., Mirzaei, R. & Masoum, S., 2016. Human health risk assessment of heavy metals in surface soil. Journal of Mazandaran University of medical sciences, 26(136): 109-120. [In persian].
  35. Ghanevati, M., Roozbahani, M.M. & Payandeh, K., 2021. Investigation of Concentration of Heavy Metals in Lead, Nickel, Arsenic and Cadmium in Soil, Parsley Vegetables and Downstream of Karun River. Journal of Innovation in Food Science & Technology, 13(3): 147-157. [In persian].
  36. Xiao, L., Zhou, Y., Huang, H., Liu, Y.J., Li, K., Li, M.Y., Tian, Y. and Wu, F., 2020. Application of geostatistical analysis and random forest for source analysis and human health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in Arable Land soil. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(24): 9296. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249296 PMid:33322666 PMCid:PMC7763655
  37. Adimalla, N., Qian, H., Nandan, M.J. and Hursthouse, A.S., 2020. Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) pollution in surface soils in a typical urban region of south India: An application of health risk assessment and distribution pattern. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 203: 111055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111055 PMid:32888617
  38. Shi, T., Zhang, J., Shen, W., Wang, J. and Li, X., 2022. Machine learning can identify the sources of heavy metals in agricultural soil: A case study in northern Guangdong Province, China. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 245: 114107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.114107 PMid:36152430
  39. Zhang, Y., Lei, M., Li, K. and Ju, T., 2023. Spatial prediction of soil contamination based on machine learning: a review. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 17(8): 93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-023-1693-1
  40. Ghorbani, M.R., Ghanavati, N., Babaenejad, T., Nazarpour, A. and Payandeh, K., 2020. Assessment of the potential ecological and human health risks of heavy metals in Ahvaz oil field, Iran. Plos one, 15(11), p.e0242703. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242703 PMid:33232363 PMCid:PMC7685440
  41. Hu, B., Xue, J., Zhou, Y., Shao, S., Fu, Z., Li, Y., Chen, S., Qi, L. and Shi, Z., 2020. Modelling bioaccumulation of heavy metals in soil-crop ecosystems and identifying its controlling factors using machine learning. Environmental Pollution, 262, p.114308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114308 PMid:32155557
  42. Zhuang, Z., Mu, H.Y., Fu, P.N., Wan, Y.N., Yu, Y., Wang, Q. and Li, H.F., 2020. Accumulation of potentially toxic elements in agricultural soil and scenario analysis of cadmium inputs by fertilization: A case study in Quzhou county. Journal of environmental management, 269: 110797. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110797 PMid:32561006
  43. Alonso-Sarria, F., Blanco-Bernardeau, A., Gomariz-Castillo, F., Jiménez-Bastida, H. and Romero-Diaz, A., 2025. Estimation of soil properties using machine learning techniques to improve hydrological modeling in a semiarid environment: Campo de Cartagena (Spain). Earth Science Informatics, 18(3), pp.1-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12145-025-01833-w
  44. Azizi, K., Ayoubi, S., Nabiollahi, K., Garosi, Y. and Gislum, R., 2022. Predicting heavy metal contents by applying machine learning approaches and environmental covariates in west of Iran. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 233: 106921. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gexplo.2021.106921
  45. Peng, Z., Zhang, B., Wang, D., Niu, X., Sun, J., Xu, H., Cao, J. and Shen, Z., 2024. Application of machine learning in atmospheric pollution research: A state-of-art review. Science of The Total Environment, 910: 168588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168588 PMid:37981149
  46. Lv, J. and Wang, Y., 2018. Multi-scale analysis of heavy metals sources in soils of Jiangsu Coast, Eastern China. Chemosphere, 212: 964-973. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.08.155 PMid:30286553
  47. Liu, X., Lu, D., Zhang, A., Liu, Q. and Jiang, G., 2022. Data-driven machine learning in environmental pollution: gains and problems. Environmental Science & Technology, 56(4): 2124-2133. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c06157 PMid:35084840

 

Journal of Research in Environmental Health
Volume 11, Issue 4 - Serial Number 44
January 2026
Pages 57-74
Files
Share
How to cite
Statistics