Heavy Metal Contamination From Cement Factories in Himachal Pradesh: Environmental Impact and Health Risk Assessment

ABSTRACT Heavy metal contamination in soil is a global environmental issue with serious ecological and human health implications. This research article focuses on assessing the extent and risk of heavy metal contamination in soils surrounding three major cement factories: ACC (Barmana), UltraTech (Baga), and Ambuja (Darlaghat), located in the industrially active districts of Bilaspur and Solan in Himachal Pradesh, India. The primary aim of this study was to quantify concentrations of selected heavy metals, including iron, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, arsenic, manganese, cadmium, mercury, nickel, and zinc; identify their spatial distribution; and evaluate associated ecological risks. Soil samples ( n = 34) were collected from multiple directions (North, East, South, and West) and distances (3, 6, and 12 km) around each factory and analyzed, using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP‐OES). This study uniquely integrates the Contamination Factor ( C f ), Geoaccumulation Index ( I geo ), and Potential Ecological Risk Index (RI) for a comprehensive evaluation. The results reveal alarming levels of cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg), with peak concentrations of 17.2 and 99.7 mg/kg, respectively, followed by Cr, As, and Ni, significantly exceeding permissible limits. These findings highlight localized pollution hotspots and the role of cement manufacturing emissions and raw material usage as major contributors. This study underscores the urgent need for pollution mitigation strategies and provides valuable insights for policymakers, environmental managers, and public health stakeholders in protecting soil resources and community well‐being.