Risks of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in road soils and noise barrier dust from the linear emission in Żagań, Poland

The investigation report concerns anthropogenic enrichment of road soils under a noise barrier and road dust collected from its surface with potentially toxic elements (PTEs). Circular traffic and slower car access to the roundabout on the busy bypass in Żagań indicate that soils closer to the round- about contain nearly twice as much of metals as the road dust. Further from the roundabout, the situation is reversed, primarily regarding lead and copper content in road dust. The recorded concentrations of Pb, Cu, and Zn are permissible in road soils, but in two locations, they exceed the allowed limits for soils in residential areas near the DK12 national road. The individual and integrated pollution indices confirm a deterioration in the quality of soil and dust samples. The Nemerow index indicates that 80% of road soils and 90% of noise barrier dust are heavily polluted. Lower PTE pollution is observed at the endpoints of the barrier. A potentially high ecological risk has been estimated in the soil near the roundabout; therefore, environmental monitoring should be continued. No health risk is currently present, which is important for the safety of residents living behind the barrier, within 80 m of a road.