<p>Health risks from street dust are increasing day by day in Chattogram City due to rapid urbanization. In this study, concentrations of heavy metals in 72 street dust samples from 24 major sites covering both urban and rural areas were determined using ICP-MS. The study revealed average concentrations of As, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Hg, Mn, Be, V, and Co in street dust samples. The average concentration of heavy metals in street dust was about 2.13 to 22.97 times that of the background soil level. This result indicates the potential influence of anthropogenic activities on the metal contamination, particularly vehicular and industrial emissions, reinforced by multivariate analyses (PCA and HCA). However, elevated concentrations of Hg in both rural and urban areas possess adverse health effects like kidney failure. Contamination status analysis revealed the degraded environmental condition, specifically in urban areas, particularly due to Cd, Zn, Cu, and Hg emissions. Moreover, health risk assessment revealed that inhalation is the predominant pathway exceeding the safe limit of the health index (HI). HI was 30, 19, 10, and 9 times higher than the threshold value for newborns, adolescents, children, and adults. Therefore, newborns are likely to be more prone to the non-carcinogenic health consequences than adults. However, all the receptors are at the potential health risk of carcinogenic effects, as the cumulative cancer risk (CCR) exceeded the benchmark of 10^–4. Therefore, the present study reveals a significant health concern, underscoring the crucial need for environmental monitoring, public health strategies, and the use of masks outdoors.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>