Assessment of the risk of the soil contamination with heavy metals and arsenic to the health of the urban population of an old industrial region

Introduction. The relevance of the study is due to the presence of gaps in the study of the impact of the historical legacy of man-made activities in old industrial regions, especially chemical pollution of urban soils, on public health.The purpose of the study is to assess the health risk of the urban population of the Vladimir region caused by soil contamination with heavy metals and arsenic.Materials and methods. The Vladimir region is considered as one of the multifunctional old industrial regions of Russia. The risk assessment was carried out based on the actual concentrations of the gross forms As, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the urban soils of the administrative centers of the municipalities of the Vladimir region. Risk assessment methods were used in accordance with current regulations.Results. The results of the study showed the soils in some cities of the region to carry carcinogenic risks to public health at an alarming level. Priority pollutants are nickel, arsenic, and cobalt. The oral route of administration has been established to be the dominant route of exposure. The child population has been revealed to demonstrate an increased sensitivity to the toxic effects of pollutants. In some cities of the region, there has been recorded an alarming risk of developing diseases of the cardiovascular system, nervous system, respiratory organs, and skin, associated with high concentrations of arsenic and lead in the soil.Limitations are related to the values of exposure factors, reference doses, and tilt factors of carcinogenic risk.Conclusion. The study demonstrates the need to develop and implement comprehensive measures to reduce urban soil pollution in the old industrial region. The revealed differences in the results of ecological and hygienic assessment and risk assessment emphasize the need to improve the methodological framework and unify approaches to assessing the state of the soil cover. The results of the study can be used to develop preventive measures to reduce the negative impact of polluted soils on public health.Compliance with ethical standards. The study does not require a biomedical ethics committee opinion.Contribution: Martsev A.A. – concept and design of the study, collection of material and data processing, writing the text and final structuring of the article for publication; Selivanov O.G. – sampling, writing the text; Kurbatov Yu.N. – laboratory research, article design; Trifonova T.A. – concept and design of the study. All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.Funding. The study had no sponsorship.Received: October 3, 2025 / Accepted: December 2, 2025 / Published: February 10, 2026