Lasheen, El Saeed R., Alhazani, Tamader, Saleh, Gehad M., El-badry, Basma A., Sami, Mabrouk, Sanislav, Ioan V., and Abdelaal, Ahmed (2026) Trace Metal Enrichment and Radiological Risk in Coastal Sediments: Implications for Ecological and Human Health Safety. Toxics, 14. 464.

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Abstract

Coastal environments are becoming more susceptible to enrichment of trace elements from human activities and natural processes. This research presents a detailed assessment of heavy metal pollution and radiological risks in coastal sediments from the Ras Mohamed area, South Sinai, at the northern Red Sea. Fifteen surface sediment samples were examined for nine trace metals and naturally occurring radionuclides (226Ra, 232Th, and 40K) using ICP-OES and gamma spectrometry techniques, respectively. Geochemical analyses showed the concentration sequence Fe > Ba > V > Cr > Zn > Co > Ni > Cu > Pb, where average levels of Cr, V, and Co were higher than Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines (CSQGs) and global crustal background values. Environmental evaluation using the pollution load index = 2.16 reflected ongoing contamination, and the Geo-Accumulation Index indicated low to moderate polluted sediment conditions. Nevertheless, ecological risk results (PERI = 87.21) together with toxicity indicators pointed to low to moderate biological effects. Human exposure assessments for adults and children revealed no significant non-carcinogenic risk (HI < 1), and the Total Cancer Risk remained below the acceptable regulatory threshold (1 × 10−4). From the other side, all recorded radiation activities were low, falling below internationally recognized safety limits. An evaluation of radiological hazard indices further confirmed that the sediments present no significant radiation risk, as all measurements remain within the low-level classification of international standards. Overall, the results indicate that although localized sediment transport and tourism-related pressures have increased certain metal levels, the region is radiologically secure and currently presents negligible risk to human health.

Item ID:	92086
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2305-6304
Copyright Information:	© 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
Date Deposited:	11 Jun 2026 03:30
FoR Codes:	37 EARTH SCIENCES > 3703 Geochemistry > 370302 Inorganic geochemistry @ 50% 37 EARTH SCIENCES > 3705 Geology > 370509 Sedimentology @ 30% 37 EARTH SCIENCES > 3703 Geochemistry > 370303 Isotope geochemistry @ 20%
SEO Codes:	28 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 2801 Expanding knowledge > 280107 Expanding knowledge in the earth sciences @ 100%
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