Abstract
Thirty surface soil samples were collected from soils around Al-Janabeen Dam, southwest Saudi Arabia to assess the contamination and environmental risk of heavy metals (HMs) using various pollution measurements, sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), and statistical methods. The average concentrations of HMs (μg/g) were listed in the following decreasing order: Fe (5487.73) > Mn (323.54) > Cr (37.52) > Cu (30.25) > Zn (24.55) > Ni (17.48) > Co (9.51) > Pb (7.50) > Cd (0.81). The investigated soils were very severely enriched, moderate severe enriched with Cu and Pb, and moderate enriched with Co, Cr, Ni and Zn. The reported values of Cd, Zn, Pb, and Co were lower than the ISQG-Low values, while few samples reported levels of Ni, Cr, and Cu between the ISQG-Low and ISQG-High values, implying a low risk of exposure to these HMs. Statistical analysis indicated natural sources for Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni; and anthropogenic effects for Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb.