Health risk status of roadside dwellers by heavy metal(loid) contamination of dusts of major and remote roads from selected areas of Eastern Nigeria

Exposure to contaminated dusts have severe health consequences, hence the heavy metal(loid)s (HMs) pollution of major roads (MRs) and non-major roads (NMRs) dusts of Rum-Ogale, Awka and Ekwulobia, Nigeria was examined between December 2019–March 2020. Settled road dusts (n = 288) on solid surfaces of investigated area were collected using brush, digested and analyzed for Pb, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, Hg, As, Mn, Al, Se, Zn and Fe using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The maximum mean concentrations (mg/kg) of Pb, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, Hg, As, Mn, Al, Se, Zn and Fe in the MRs and NMRs dust across the months were 0.147 and 0.084, 0.050 and 0046, 0.052 and 0.058, 0.076 and 0.064, 0.065 and 0.073, 0.050 and 4.611, 0.193 and 0.132, 0.248 and 0.231, 0.084 and 0.078, 0.064 and 0.070, 0.141 and 0.083, and 2.503 and 1.901 respectively. Generally, the One-Way ANOVA test reveals that the HMs in the MRs and NMRs differed significantly (p < 0.05). The potential ecological risk values for Ekwulobia, Awka and Rum-Ogale were 7.164, 6.457 and 7.070. The HMs have insignificant non-cancer effects to roadside dwellers (HQ < 1). Arsenic recorded the highest $${CR}_{ing}$$ values of 2.4 × 10–06 (MRs) and 1.5 × 10–6 (NMR) for children in Rum-Ogale. The PMF source model revealed that Fe had the highest percentage dominance in the dusts. Chronic exposure to these low HMs concentrations could trigger irritation of the respiratory system; therefore, roadside hawkers should always wear nose mask to reduce risks.