Article title: Characteristics, sources, and health risks of atmospheric PM10-bound heavy metals in a populated middle eastern city.
Authors: Idani, Esmaeil, et al.
Journal: Toxin Reviews
Bibliometrics: 39.3 (2020): 266–274.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15569543.2018.1513034
Since publication, queries were raised regarding the specific timelines for when the study was conducted, details on ethical approval and competing interests information. In addition, Figure 1 was originally published in an earlier publication by the author group, but a reference to the original source had not been included.
The authors have now provided the required information. In addition, a sentence which was erroneously placed within the “Ethical considerations” section, has now been moved to the end of the “Statistical analysis” section. The changes within the each of the sections are listed below:
Materials and Methods
Sampling, sample preparation, and instrumentation
This cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze the characteristics, sources, and health risks of atmospheric PM10, bound with HMs in three zones of Ahvaz city (Ahvaz is one of the most polluted cities in the world): Bahonar as industrial station (S1), Naderi as high traffic station (S2), and Golestan as residential station (S3) during a 1-year period (September 2016–October 2017) with the population of more than 1 200 000 people.
Ethical considerations
Before sampling, the participants were interviewed and the purpose, method, and confidentiality of the study were explained to them, and sampling was performed if they were satisfied. Informed written consent was also completed.
The Ethics Committee of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences approved the study protocol. This study was originally approved by the Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences with code IR.AJUMS.REC.1395.492.
Statistical analysis
Data analysis was used to descriptive statistics for the air pollution indexes. The residual concentrations of the HM were analyzed using SPSS version 18. Principal component analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation was employed to see the difference of target compounds in three different sampling sites. Excel and SPSS were used for analysis, sampling, and data collection were done by researcher.
Disclosure statement
E. Idani has held several government positions in the Ministry of Health and National Medical Council, and was the Governmental University Chancellor of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, which provided financial support for the study. The authors confirm that these roles and any other governmental positions or membership of relevant committees, did not influence the outcomes of the research.
Figure 1
Location of studied communities (S1: industrial, S2: high traffic, and S3: residential areas). Figure originally published in Goudarzi et al. (2017).