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Seasonal dynamics of trace elements, sediment contamination, and child health risks in six Egyptian red sea ports: an integrated water–sediment–human health assessment
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DOI：10.1007/s10653-026-03398-z.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Coastal port environments along the Red Sea–Suez Canal corridor face intensifying multi-stressor pressures, yet integrated seawater–sediment–human-health assessments of toxicologically distinct trace elements remain scarce. In this study, arsenic (As), selenium (Se), tin (Sn) and mercury (Hg) were quantified in surface seawater (n = 38) and surficial sediments (n = 19) across six Egyptian ports (Port Tawfiq, Zayteiat, Hurghada, Safaga, Nuweibaa and Sharm El-Sheikh). Six contamination and ecological-risk indices (CF, Igeo, PLI, MPI, Er and RI) were integrated with a USEPA-compliant human health risk assessment and multivariate source apportionment to disentangle natural and anthropogenic signatures. Dissolved As exhibited a pronounced and biogeochemically coherent seasonal inversion, with winter concentrations (8.82 ± 1.04 µg L−1) 3.2-fold higher than summer values (2.76 ± 0.53 µg L−1; p < 0.001), whereas Se followed the opposite trend (summer > winter; p < 0.001). All stations fell within the “low” ecological-risk category, with sediment-based indices uniformly low (PLI = 0.07–0.47; RI = 3.6–22.4). Critically, non-carcinogenic hazard indices for children exceeded unity at all six ports (HI = 1.13–1.57), driven predominantly (> 92%) by As, an exceedance that would be masked by adult-only assessment (HI = 0.50–0.67). Total carcinogenic risk remained within the acceptable 10−6–10−4 range. Principal component analysis and inter-element correlations (r ≥ 0.84, p < 0.001) resolved two anthropogenic clusters: a legacy antifouling-paint (Sn–As–Hg) signature at high-traffic ports persisting over a decade after the 2008 IMO organotin ban, and petroleum-related Se enrichment at the Zayteiat oil terminal. These findings highlight the necessity of age-stratified exposure assessment and sustained multi-compartment monitoring as Suez Canal traffic intensifies.
Keywords:
Arsenic
Trace elements
Human health risk assessment
Ecological risk assessment
Coastal sediments
Red Sea
Egyptian ports
Source apportionment
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