analysis of fe, pb, and cd content of surface runoff in regions with high traffic intensity in hamadan, iran, in 2014

background : road runoff is a linear diffuse source of pollution, with very specific pollutant characteristics and ability to discharge into the environment. heavy metal pollution in road runoff has caused widespread concern since the last century. therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess fe, pb, and cd concentrations in surface runoff from regions with high traffic intensity in the city of hamadan, iran, in 2014. methods: runoff samples were collected from 8 selected stations. after the laboratory preparation stage, the concentration of the elements was determined using inductively-coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (icp-oes). all statistical analyses were performed using the spss statistical package. findings: the results showed that the mean concentrations of fe, pb, and cd in runoff samples were 0.42 ± 0.38, 4.23 ± 3.0, and 6.48 ± 4.46 µg/l, respectively. the comparison of the mean concentrations of the assessed metals with the world health organization’s (who) permissible limits revealed a significant difference (p < 0.05). the mean concentrations of the metals were significantly higher than the permissible limits. conclusion: the results indicated that surface runoff from regions with high traffic intensity in hamadan were polluted with fe, pb, and cd, which threatens surface water resources, and thus, the health of citizens