Potentially Toxic Elements Contamination in Urban Soils

A high displacement of inhabitants into large towns, presence of industry, and constantly growing traffic have a high impact on the environment and considerable exposure of human health to environmental risks. Therefore, putting emphasis on the best environmental quality is necessary. In this work, the pollution level of urban parks was studied, the influence of the type of pollution source was analysed, and the effect of shading by trees was studied. The analyses were carried out on soil samples taken from thirteen parks in two towns of the Czech Republic, in Prague, a town considered to be mainly residential, and Ostrava, a predominantly industrial town (steel working plant). The sampling points were selected to cover the whole towns equally. In each park, two sampling points were chosen, the first one under trees, the second one in the open area. The sampling was done in the summer of 2006 in the depths of 0–10 and 10–20 cm. In addition to basic soil analyses performed by routine...

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

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Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

Urban and industrial development has caused a major impact on environmental soil quality. This work assesses the extent and severity of contamination in a small urban area subjected to an industrial impact and identifies the major anthropogenic inputs. Twenty-six soil samples were collected from agricultural and urban sites, and concentrations of potentially toxic elements (As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn), PAHs and PCBs, were determined. In spite of the low median concentrations observed, some sites represent a potential hazard for human health and ecosystems. Concentrations of contaminants were higher than those found in a nearby city, indicating that the study area is affected by the surrounding industry. The use of multivariate statistical analyses allowed for the identification of the main factors controlling the variability of potentially toxic elements and organic pollutants in the soils. The presence of Cr, Fe, Mn and Ni was associated with geogenic inputs, and Cu, Pb, Zn, As, PAHs and PCBs were associated with anthropogenic inputs. Industry and traffic were the most important anthropogenic sources. Soil characteristics were identified as important factors controlling the spatial variability of elements, both from recognised natural and anthropogenic origin. Differences between land uses were observed, which may be attributed to both management practices and proximity to sources.

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT, 2020

Using physicochemical methods of analysis (XRF and AAS), the elemental composition of urban soils of large urban ecosystems of one of the industrially developed regions of Russia was studied. It was revealed that most of the soils of urban ecosystems have technogenic anomalies in a number of heavy metals and metalloids: As, Co, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cr. An abnormally high iron content in the soils of the region was established compared with the world level and clarke of element in the soils. Without exception, all studied urbanozems are characterized by a high S content. Territories with a moderately hazardous and dangerous pollution level, which amounted to 20% of the studied urban ecosystems, respectively, were identified by the total pollution index. Sources of toxic elements in urban soils are metallurgical, defense, metalworking and chemical industries. The industrial production and toxicant-polluted urban soils considered in the article are a potential source of pollution of natural wat...

Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987), 2017

Increasing urbanisation has a direct impact on soil quality, resulting in elevated concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soils. This research aims to assess if soil PTE concentrations can be used as an 'urbanisation tracer' by investigating geogenic and anthropogenic source contributions and controls, and considering PTE enrichment across historical urban development zones. The UK cities of Belfast and Sheffield are chosen as study areas, where available shallow and deep concentrations of PTEs in soil are compared to identify geogenic and anthropogenic contributions to PTEs. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis are used to elucidate the main controls over PTE concentrations. Pollution indices indicate that different periods of historical development are linked to enrichment of different PTEs. Urban subdomains are identified and background values calculated using various methodologies and compared to generic site assessment criteria. Exceedances ...

Anadolu orman araştırmaları dergisi, 2018

Urban soils in Çankırı city have a high potential impact on water and air quality in residential areas. High heavy metal contents of these soils may pose considerable risk to the urban residences as most of the soils are bare due to inappropriate conditions for plant growth. We evaluated vertical and horizontal distribution of heavy metals concentrations in soils along the highway crossing the city in NE to SW direction. Each of ten sampling sites was sampled at five soil depths (0-2,5; 2,5-7,5; 7,5-12,5;12,5-17,5; 17,5-30 cm). The concentrations of heavy metals were measured using an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Means of heavy metal concentrations were Fe>Mg>Mn>Ni>Cr>Zn>Cu>Ca>Co> Pb>Na>K>Cd>Hg. Concentrations of Fe and Mg were higher than critical values set for their maximum threshold soil concentrations for human health. The spatial distributions of Mg, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, K, and Ca concentrations gradually decreased from NE to SW. Concentrations of Hg was far greater in the NE-half than SW-half, while concentration of Na was far greater in the SW-half of the transect than its NE-half. Concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Pb showed patchy distribution, and greater Zn concentrations occurred at both ends of the transect compared to values closer to city center. No significant correlation was found between pH and concentration of any of the studied heavy metals. In general, horizontal variation of heavy metals were greater compared to their vertical variation. Concentration of Mg was far greater than that of Ca and this was attributed to the parent material of the soils, which comprises considerable amount of serpentine. Potential contamination indices of the soil samples were: Fe, Mg, Na, Ca, K, Cr, Ni, Co, Cu, Mn, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Hg in decreasing order. Integrated pollution index showed that Fe and Mg concentrations of all samples were greater than 1, suggesting that these heavy metals have a significant risk on health of city residents.

For the first time the abundances (the average concentrations) of chemical elements are given for the soils of urban landscapes. The figures were established by authors on the base of average concentrations of chemical elements in the soils of more than 300 cities and settlements in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and America. The major part of data (sampling, analyses and their statistical treatment) was obtained directly by authors as a result of special studies conducted for more than 15 years. The concentrations of elements were defined by the spectral, gravimetric, neutron activation and the X-ray fluorescence methods of analyses. The control of sampling and also inner and outer laboratory controls of analyses were carried out. The ordinary and the control analyses were carried out in the certified and accredited laboratories, including arbitration laboratory. The sufficiently numerous published materials of different researchers were also used.

Urban Ecosystems, 2014

Maala Literary Review, 2024