Distribution of trace elements in different soils and risk assessment: A case study for the urbanized area in Bangladesh

•Soils were severely contaminated by trace elements.•The degree of contamination can negatively impact human health.•Waste dispose and metal workshop sites exhibited higher trace elements.•Cadmium showed higher potential ecological risk.

The objective of this study was to assess the potential ecological and health risks of trace elements in soil of different land use types that are presently being used in the urbanized area in Bangladesh. In this regard, the concentrations of the following priority trace elements (Cr, Ni, Cu, As, Cd, and Pb) were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) after microwave digestion. Fifty locations were selected representing eight different types of land uses; namely, agricultural farm (AF), metal workshop (MW), play ground (PG), railway station (RS), waste disposal site (WD), construction site (CS), car workshop (CW) and petrol station (PS). The element concentrations were subsequently used to establish Hazard Indices (for adults and children). Soils of the study sites were severely polluted with trace elements which can lead to potential ecological risk and adverse impact on human health.