Availability of geogenic heavy metals in soils of Thiva town (central Greece)

Potentially toxic metals in the urban chemical environment impose risks to both ecosystem and human health. Here, we evaluate the labile pools and availabilities of non-anthropogenic Ni, Cr, Co and Mn in soil samples from Thiva town (central Greece) and investigate their associations with common soil properties and geochemical data obtained by the aqua regia and single selective dissolutions. Experimental work included the initial application of the sequential extraction protocol proposed by the European Community Bureau of Reference and chemical extractions with ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid solution and a modified physiologically based extraction test with the aim to obtain the operationally defined fractions of plant availability and human bioaccessibility, respectively. The leachate results demonstrated that despite the significant contribution of residual metal species especially for Ni and Cr, the studied serpentine soils provide chemically labile pools for all the considered elements. Nickel was found to be the most available metal with the order being Ni?>?Cr?～?Co?～?Mn for plant uptake and Ni?>?Cr?>?Co?～?Mn for human bioaccessibility. The aqua regia extractable concentrations are not predictors of elemental availabilities except for Ni bioaccessible data interpreting however only a moderate percentage of the total variance. The incorporation of basic soil properties (mostly total organic carbon), geochemical data for the major elements Ca, Mg and Fe and ammonium oxalate extractable Cr significantly improved the estimations for individual elements entailing the strong influence of the chemistry and mineralogy of soil materials to the release of focus metals from the soil matrix. This study provides for the first time bioaccessible data for serpentine-derived soils that are more realistic for evaluating potential adverse effects on the human health.     

Spatial distribution and multiple sources of heavy metals in the water of Chaohu Lake,Anhui, China

In this study, a survey for the spatial distribution of heavy metals in Chaohu Lake of China was conducted. Sixty-two surface water samples were collected from entire lake including three of its main river entrances. This is the first systematic report concerning the content, distribution, and origin of heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Cd, Hg, Zn, and Ni) in the Chaohu Lake water. The results showed that heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Zn, and Ni) concentrations in the estuary of Nanfei River were relatively higher than those in the other areas, while content of Hg is higher in the southeast lake than northwest lake. Moreover, Cd has locally concentration in the surface water from the entire Chaohu Lake. The heavy metal average concentrations, except Hg, were lower than the cutoff values for the first-grade water quality (China Environment Quality Standard) which was set as the highest standard to protect the social nature reserves. The Hg content is between the grades three and four water quality, and other heavy metals contents are higher than background values. The aquatic environment of Chaohu Lake has apparently been contaminated. Both the cluster analysis (CA) and correlation analysis provide information about the origin of heavy metals in the Lake. Our findings indicated that agricultural activities and adjacent plants chimneys may contribute the most to Cd and Hg contamination of Chaohu Lake, respectively.     

Trace metals content in soils along the state road 51 (northeastern Poland)

The aim of the study was to determine concentrations of some trace elements (lead, cadmium, chromium, and nickel) in soils along State Road 51 leading from Olsztyn to Olsztynek, northeastern Poland. The traffic flow had a significant effect on the content of heavy metals in soils lying along the road. Further away from the road, and under a lower traffic flow intensity, the amounts of contaminants originating from the motor traffic decreased. There was a pine forest growing by the road near Olsztyn, which served as a buffer zone for all the analyzed heavy metals. At all the sampling locations, the content of chromium was approximately the same as its natural concentration. The statistical analysis demonstrated that there was a strong negative correlation between the concentrations of nickel, lead, chromium, and cadmium in soils and the distance from the road. The biggest differences in the content of an individual element were determined for lead and the smallest ones—for cadmium. Emissions of trace elements depended on the differences in the traffic flow intensity, number, type, and speed of vehicles and on the atmospheric conditions as well as the distribution of buildings.     

Concentrations of heavy metals in urban soils of Talcahuano (Chile): a preliminary study

Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the top-(0–10 cm) and sub-surface (10–20 cm) soils of the Talcahuano urban area were measured. The main soil properties (organic matter, CaCO₃, pH, particle sizes) were determined for a network of representative sampling sites. The mean Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn contents in the urban topsoil samples from Talcahuano (37.8, 22.6, 35.2, 333 mg kg⁻¹, respectively) were compared with mean concentrations for other cities around the world. The results revealed higher concentrations of heavy metals in topsoil samples than in sub-surface samples. The samples from IS1, IS2, and IS3, located in the Talcahuano industrial park, had higher Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn contents than did samples from the other sites. This was probably due to local pollution by industrial (metallurgical) dust, although other diffuse pollution throughout the entire port region (shipyards, metallurgy, the dismantling of old ships), and contributions from the wind from adjacent industrial, storage, and vessel areas clearly played a role. Heavy metals were lowest in the sample taken on school grounds (SG).     

Assessment of some trace heavy metals and radioactivity concentration in water of Bendimahi River Basin (Van, Turkey)

The levels of heavy metals were determined in the water of Bendimahi River Basin, statistically analysed and compared to natural gross radioactivity concentration. Fifteen samples of water were collected from Bendimahi River and Van Lake for two seasons in 2005. Water samples were analyzed for eight trace elements and concluded together with gross-alpha and gross-beta radioactivity concentrations. Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) was used to determine the concentrations of heavy metals in water samples collected from Bendimahi River basin. Correlation analysis was made for radioactivity and heavy metal concentrations and the Pearson correlation coefficients between gross-alpha and gross-beta radioactivity and heavy metal were determined. The concentrations of all metals were found to be higher than WHO, EC, EPA and TSE-266 guidelines for drinking water, except for Zn and Cu. Generally, the heavy metal concentrations in water samples obtained in May and in August were found to be in sequence of Fe>Zn>Pb>Cr>Cu>Mn>Co>Cd and Fe>Zn>Cu>Pb>Cr>Mn>Co>Cd, respectively. The gross-alpha and gross-beta activity concentration varies between 0.063 and 0.782, 0.021 and 0.816 Bq l(-1) in samples collected in May, and 0.009 and 0.037, 0.081 and 3.116 Bq l(-1) in samples collected in August.     

土壤中重金属形态的化学分析综述

土壤中重金属的赋存形态决定其在土壤中的迁移性、生物可利用性以及毒性.土壤中重金属形态的化学分析法是依据不同浸取能力的提取剂分别提取出与土壤颗粒有着不同结合力的化学形态并测定其浓度而建立起来的.文章对土壤重金属形态分析中选用的提取试剂以及分析流程进行了综述,比较了各种试剂和方法的优缺点.同时对形态分析的土壤样品的前处理方式进行了简要概述.     

Chemical fractionation of heavy metals in urban soils of Guangzhou, China

Knowledge of the total concentration of heavy metals is not enough to fully assess the environmental impact of urban soils. For this reason, the determination of metal speciation is important to evaluate their environment and the mobilization capacity. Sequential extraction technique proposed by the former European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) was used to speciate Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in urban soils from Guangzhou into four operationally defined fractions: HOAc extractable, reducible, oxidizable, and residual. The Cu, Fe, Ni, and Zn were predominately located in the residual fraction, Pb in the reducible fraction, and Cd and Mn within the HOAc extractable fraction. The order of Cd in each fraction was generally HOAc extractable > reducible > residual > oxidizable; Cu and Fe were residual > reducible > oxidizable > HOAc extractable; Mn was HOAc extractable > residual > reducible > oxidizable; Ni and Zn were residual > reducible > HOAc extractable > oxidizable; and Pb was reducible > residual > oxidizable > HOAc extractable. Cadmium was identified as being the most mobile of the elements, followed by Mn, Zn, Ni, Cu, Pb and Fe. Iron–Mn oxides can play an important role in binding Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn and in decreasing their proportion associated with the residual fraction in the soils. With total concentrations of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Mn increase, these metals more easily release and may produce more negative effects on the urban environment.     

Bio-accumulation and distribution of heavy metals in black mustard (Brassica nigra Koch)

There has been carried out a comparative research, which to allow us to determine the quantities and the depots of accumulation of Pb, Cu, Zn and Cd in the vegetative and reproductive organs of Brassica nigra, as well as to identify the possibilities of growing on soils, contaminated by heavy metals and its use for the purposes of the phytoremeditation. Experiments have been implemented in field and in controlled conditions. B. nigra is tolerant towards the heavy metals and could be successfully grown in regions of low and moderate level of contamination with heavy metals, without lowering of the quantity and quality of the manufactured production. The depots for accumulation, in case it is being grown on contaminated soils without Cu follows the order: roots > fruit's shells > stems > seeds. In the case of its growing on non-contaminated soils the order roots > fruit's shells > seeds > stems preserves for the Pb, while the order for the Cu, Zn, and Cd is: fruit's shells > seeds > stems > roots. A relation is determined between the quantity of the total and the mobile forms of metals on one hand, and their total quantity in the plants in the field, as well as, in the pot experiments, on the other. A drastic exclusion is made by the Pb in the pot experiments, as its basic part is blocked in compounds that are hardly soluble. Its absorption by the plants is almost entirely blocked, which is almost a degree lower than that obtained in the field experiments and is commensurable with the results obtained in non-contaminated soils. Clarification of the reasons causing this effect requires additional examinations and above all, fractionation of the soil and determination of the forms and depots of localization of Pb compounds.     

Spatial distribution and risk assessment of heavy metals in sediments from a hypertrophic plateau lake Dianchi, China

The sediment in Dianchi Lake, a hypereutrophic plateau lake in southwest China, was investigated and the concentration of heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn, Pb, Fe, Mn, and Cd) in the sediment and sediment properties were determined. Their spatial distribution and sources were analyzed using multivariate statistics. The result indicated that the studied metals exhibited three distinct spatial patterns; that is, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Ni had a similar distribution, with a concentration gradient from the north to the south part of the lake; Cd and Cr presented a similar distribution; Fe and Mn presented a quite different distribution than other metals, which indicated their different sources and geochemistry processes. Correlation and cluster analysis (CA) provided origin information on these metals and the CA result was observed corresponding to those three spatial patterns. Principal component analysis further displayed metal source and driving factors; that is, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cd, and Cr were mainly derived from anthropogenic sources, and Fe and Mn were mainly the result of natural processes. Sediment assessment was conducted using geoaccumulation index (Igeo), potential ecological risk indices, and USEPA guidelines. The result indicated that, generally, Cd was the most serious risk metal; Pb and Cu posed moderate potential ecological risk; Cr, Zn, and Ni had slight ecological risk; Fe and Mn had little risk. Comparison of the assessment tools showed that each of the methods had its limitation and could bias the result, and the combined use of the methodologies and local knowledge on lithology or metal background value of soil in the practice would give a more comprehensive understanding of the metal risk or pollution. Statistical analysis also indicated that nutrients had different impacts on Fe, Mn, and trace elements, which implied that in the assessment of metal risk, nutrients impact should be taken into consideration especially for eutrophic waters.     

Distribution and accumulation of heavy metals in the sediments of Akkaya Dam,Nigde, Turkey

Twenty-one surface sediment samples were collected from Akkaya Dam. Heavy metal concentrations (Mo, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, Mn, Fe, Cr, As, V and Cd), grain size, organic carbon and carbonate contents were studied in order to assess the extent of environmental pollution and to discuss the origin of these contaminants in sediments of dam. The sediments in the study area are mostly very fine sands. However, mud was observed in the northeast of the dam. Sediment pollution assessment was carried out using enrichment factor. The calculation of enrichment factors showed that Mo is depleted by 1.0 whereas Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, Mn, As, V, Cr and Cd are enriched by 3, 5.4, 7, 2.7, 2.2, 3.4, 42.3, 2.1, 1.8 and 7.2, respectively. Relatively high concentrations heavy metals occurred in north (textile industry area) and east (Karasu River) due to enrichment controlled by anthropogenic wastes. The results of correlation analysis show low–medium positive and negative correlations among metals, grain size, carbonate contents and organic carbon and indicate that heavy metals in sediments of the Akkaya Dam have different anthropogenic sources.     

Multi-scale spatial structure of heavy metals in agricultural soils in Beijing

To effectively investigate the spatial variability of heavy metals in soil, produce a higher quality spatial distribution map, and identify the potential pollution sources of heavy metals, geostatistics was employed to evaluate the effect of scale on spatial variability of heavy metals in Beijing agricultural soils. The results revealed that spatial variability of Cr, Ni, Zn, and Hg was dependent on scale. Validation of the optimality of theoretical semivariance and comparative analysis of the estimation accuracy demonstrated that the multi-scale nested model can reveal the spatial structure of heavy metals effectively and improve the estimation accuracy better than the single-scale method, thereby enabling production a higher quality spatial interpolation map. Thus, the multi-scale kriging nested model is a useful tool for revealing spatial variability of heavy metals in soils, while the spatial distribution maps allow the identification of hot spots with high concentrations of heavy metals.     

Multivariate analysis of mixed contaminants (PAHs and heavy metals) at manufactured gas plant site soils

Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to provide an overview of the distribution pattern of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals in former manufactured gas plant (MGP) site soils. PCA is the powerful multivariate method to identify the patterns in data and expressing their similarities and differences. Ten PAHs (naphthalene, acenapthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, chrysene, benzo[a]pyrene) and four toxic heavy metals — lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and zinc (Zn) — were detected in the site soils. PAH contamination was contributed equally by both low and high molecular weight PAHs. PCA was performed using the varimax rotation method in SPSS, 17.0. Two principal components accounting for 91.7% of the total variance was retained using scree test. Principle component 1 (PC1) substantially explained the dominance of PAH contamination in the MGP site soils. All PAHs, except anthracene, were positively correlated in PC1. There was a common thread in high molecular weight PAHs loadings, where the loadings were inversely proportional to the hydrophobicity and molecular weight of individual PAHs. Anthracene, which was less correlated with other individual PAHs, deviated well from the origin which can be ascribed to its lower toxicity and different origin than its isomer phenanthrene. Among the four major heavy metals studied in MGP sites, Pb, Cd and Cr were negatively correlated in PC1 but showed strong positive correlation in principle component 2 (PC2). Although metals may not have originated directly from gaswork processes, the correlation between PAHs and metals suggests that the materials used in these sites may have contributed to high concentrations of Pb, Cd, Cr and Zn. Thus, multivariate analysis helped to identify the sources of PAHs, heavy metals and their association in MGP site, and thereby better characterise the site risk, which would not be possible if one uses chemical analysis alone.     

The occurrence of heavy metals in irrigated and non-irrigated arable soils,NW Albania

The study analysed the content of heavy metals in surface soil and sediment samples from the Bregu i Matit Plain in NW Albania in relation to irrigation in order to evaluate the soil pollution and the potential risk to human health. Evaluation of soil pollution was performed using the enrichment factor and geo-accumulation index. Contents of cadmium, chromium and nickel of irrigated soils were significantly higher than those of non-irrigated soil, while contents of lead (in three of the irrigated locations), zinc and arsenic (in one of the irrigated locations) were significantly lower. Correlation analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that the primary source of the first three metals was irrigation, and the last three metals were originated from other anthropic sources, like the use of chemicals, etc. Enrichment factor (E _f) calculation showed that irrigated soils were most enriched in cadmium, chromium, copper and nickel. Index of geo-accumulation (I _geo) revealed that arable soils of Bregu i Matit are unpolluted to moderately polluted with cadmium, chromium, copper and zinc and moderately to strongly polluted with nickel and arsenic. The presence of heavy metals in the studied soils indicates a potential risk of transfer of these elements in the food chain. Therefore, further studies on the speciation of heavy metals in the studied soils in order to evaluate their mobility are needed.     

Monitoring the local distribution of striped hyenas (Hyaena hyaena L.) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of Turkey (Hatay) by using GIS and remote sensing technologies

Striped hyenas (Hyaena hyaena L.) are one of the large carnivores whose numbers have rapidly decreased in Turkey. To monitor and assess the distribution of striped hyenas in Mediterranean region of Turkey, geographical information systems (GIS) and remote sensing technologies were implemented. For this purpose, the GIS database was generated and digital maps were produced in ArcGIS 9.2 program, considering some of the main factors including signs of striped hyenas, elevation, slope, land use types, feeding sources, and road network. The land use types in the distribution area of striped hyenas were classified by using ERDAS Imagine program. The results from the land use classification indicated that the signs of striped hyenas mostly distributed over the agricultural areas especially with olive groves, and followed by maquis. It was found that there was a spatial relationship between the signs of striped hyenas and feeding sources such as organic waste centers and a chicken farm in the region.     

Distribution of heavy metals in agricultural soils near a petrochemical complex in Guangzhou, China

The aim of the study was to investigate influence of an industrialized environment on the accumulation of heavy metals in agricultural soils. Seventy soil samples collected from surface layers (0-20 cm) and horizons of five selected pedons in the vicinity area of petrochemical complex in Guangzhou, China were analyzed for Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Hg and As concentrations, the horizontal and vertical variation of these metals were studied and geographic information system (GIS)-based mapping techniques were applied to generate spatial distribution maps. The mean concentrations of these heavy metals in the topsoils did not exceed the maximum allowable concentrations in agricultural soil of China with the exception of Hg. Significant differences between land-use types showed that Cu, Pb, Cd, Hg and As concentrations in topsoils were strongly influenced by agricultural practices and soil management. Within a radius of 1,300 m there were no marked decreasing trends for these element concentrations (except for Zn) with the increase of distance from the complex boundary, which reflected little influence of petroleum air emission on soil heavy metal accumulation. Concentrations of Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Hg and As in the five pedons, particularly in cultivated vegetable field and orchard, decreased with soil depth, indicating these elements mainly originated from anthropogenic sources. GIS mapping was a useful tool for evaluating spatial variability of heavy metals in the affected soil. The spatial distribution maps allowed the identification of hot-spot areas with high metal concentration. Effective measures should be taken to avoid or minimize heavy metal further contamination of soils and to remediate the contaminated areas in order to prevent pollutants affecting human health through agricultural products.     

Monitoring of total and bioavailable heavy metals concentration in agricultural soils

The aim of this paper is to evaluate total and bioavailable concentration of heavy metals in agricultural soils in order to estimate their distribution, to identify the possible correlations among toxic elements and the pollution sources, to distinguish the samples in relation to sampling site or to sampling depth, and to evaluate the available fraction providing information about the risky for plants. In particular, we reinvestigated total concentrations of As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, V, and Zn and available concentrations of As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Zn in soil from Apulia (Southern Italy). Analytical results showed that total concentrations, for all soils, are in the range permitted by regulations in force in Italy, but some soils evidence slight enrichment of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn. All the heavy metals in the available fraction were below the detection limits of the analytical techniques used except Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn.     

Levels and speciation of heavy metals in soils of industrial Southern Nigeria

A knowledge of the total content of trace metals is not enoughto fully assess the environmental impact of polluted soils. Forthis reason, the determination of metal species in solution isimportant to evaluate their behaviour in the environment andtheir mobilization capacity. Sequential extraction procedure wasused to speciate five heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni and Zn) fromfour contaminated soils of Southern Nigeria into sixoperationally defined geochemical species: water soluble,enchangeable, carbonates, Fe-Mn oxide, organic and residual.Metal recoveries were within ± 10% of the independentlydetermined total Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni and Zn concentrations. The highest amount of Cd (avg. 30%) in the nonresidual fractionswas found in the exchangeable fraction, while Cu and Zn weresignificantly associated with the organic fraction. Thecarbonate fraction contained on average 14, 18.6, 12.6, 13 and11% and the residual fraction contained on average 47, 18, 33,50 and 25% of Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni and Zn respectively. Assuming thatmobility and bioavailability of these metals are related to thesolubility of the geochemical form of the metals, and that theydecrease in the order of extraction sequence, the apparentmobility and potential bioavailability for these five metals inthe soil were: Pb > Zn > Cu > Ni > Cd. The mobility indexes ofcopper and nickel correlated positively and significantly withthe total content of metals, while mobility indexes of cadmiumand zinc correlated negatively and significantly with the totalcontent of metals.