ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Environ. Sci.
Sec. Toxicology, Pollution and the Environment
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2025.1667069
This article is part of the Research TopicRemediation and Health Risks of Heavy Metal Contaminated Soils, Volume IIView all 5 articles
Metal contamination and radiological risk assessment in the coastal zone of Wadi Ghadir outlet, Red Sea, Egypt
Provisionally accepted
Gehad M Saleh1Hatem E Semary2
El Saeed R. Lasheen3*Mohamed S Kamar1Amr Elkelish2
Mabrouk Sami4Ioan V Sanislav5
Ahmed Abdelaal6- 1Nuclear Materials Authority, New Cairo City, Egypt
- 2Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- 3Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Egypt
- 4United Arab Emirates University College of Science, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
- 5James Cook University College of Science and Engineering, Townsville City, Australia
- 6Port Said University, Port Said, Egypt
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This study evaluated concentrations, spatial distribution, and ecological–health risks of nine heavy metals in 25 surface sediment samples from Wadi Ghadir outlet, southeastern Red Sea coast, Egypt. The sediments were sandy (>94%), alkaline (pH 8.12), and contained moderate organic matter (5.6–8.9%). Metal concentrations (mg/kg) followed: Fe > Ba > Cr > Zn > Ni > V > Pb > Cu > Co. Ba, Cr, and Ni exceeded Canadian soil quality guidelines and global Earth crust backgrounds, while others remained below. Spatially, Ba, Ni, and V peaked in the north, Co, Cr, and Zn in central sites, and Pb, Cu, and Fe in the south. Multivariate analyses indicated both natural and anthropogenic sources. Enrichment and contamination factors showed moderate enrichment for Pb and Ni, and considerable contamination for Ni. Geo-accumulation index (Igeo >5) and pollution load index (PLI; 1.62) confirmed significant contamination. Ecological risk indices (PERI <150, Eri <40) suggested overall low risk, with Ni and Pb most concerned. Additional sediment quality indices (MERMQ, TRI, mHQ) pointed to medium–moderate ecological and toxic risks, while human health evaluation revealed low non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. Radiological analyses of ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K, and ²²⁶Ra revealed concentrations (Bq/Kg) and dose indices within global safety limits, indicating negligible radiological risk.
Keywords: metal pollution, Spatial pattern, Radiological risk indices, sediment, Red Sea, South Egypt
Received: 16 Jul 2025; Accepted: 01 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Saleh, Semary, Lasheen, Kamar, Elkelish, Sami, Sanislav and Abdelaal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: El Saeed R. Lasheen, elsaeedlasheen@azhar.edu.eg
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