Arsenic distribution in the environment: The effects of scale

Natural contamination by As and heavy metals in soil, their bio-accumulation and potential sources: the case of a travertine limestone quarry, Greece

“…The investigation of the As, Mo, Cu, Pb, Zn, Mn, Fe, Sb and Hg level at the travertine limestone of the Varnavas quarry and the associated soils revealed the presence of elevated As contents in the travertine limestone, up to 210 ppm while As in the associated soils increases (up to 430 ppm) by a factor of approximately 2 (Table 1), falling in the field of highly polluted soils [6,7].…”

“…Also industrial activities such as mining of coal and mixed sulphides, smelting, beneficiation activities and a wide variety of applications can be responsible for the arsenic contamination [2][3][4]. It is well known that hazardous wastes may be highly toxic, with high bioavailable fractions of heavy metals, which may be transported over long distances and contaminate large agricultural areas [5][6][7]. Thus, toxic elements can be taken up by plants and finally enter the food chain, with adverse effects on human health.…”

Establishing geochemical baselines in forest soils for environmental risk assessment in the Montague and Goldenville gold districts, Nova Scotia, Canada

“…Down-ice enrichment in the Public Health layer is greatest for As at Montague (median As concentration 4.7 times higher down-ice vs. up-ice) and for Au at Goldenville (median Au concentration 3.2 times higher down-ice vs. up-ice). Dispersion of As, Au, and other elements down-ice from gold deposits has been well studied in Nova Scotia (e.g., Carrick Gold Resources 1990; Dunn et al 1991;Goodwin et al 2004;Smith et al 2005) and in other mineralized areas across Canada and worldwide (e.g., Presant and Tupper 1966;Boyle and Jonasson 1973;DiLabio 1989;Kerr 2001;Broster et al 2009;Reimann et al 2009). The effects of glacial dispersal are generally most pronounced in C-horizon soils that develop directly on top of till; however, our data show that this process also influences the composition of shallower soils that are of most interest for environmental risk assessment.…”

“…Background concentrations in soils vary from location to location and depend on the scale of the area under investigation (Reimann et al 2009). In recent years, many authors have worked to develop standardized field, laboratory, and statistical protocols for determining geochemical background in soils to enable comparison of data generated from surveys around the globe (e.g., Rencz et al 2011;Friske et al 2013).…”

Arsénico edáfico y su distribución en el distrito de riego 017: uso de métodos de interpolación.

“…En la Región Lagunera, Hernández et al (2013) concluyeron que la adición de fósforo al suelo da como resultado el incremento de la concentración de As en la solución del suelo hasta en 662%; asimismo, destacan la necesidad de establecer la distribución espacial de este elemento, para un mejor entendimiento de la presencia de arsénico en los suelos de la región. La utilidad de la geoestadística y sistemas de información geográf icos (SIG) en el establecimiento de la distribución espacial de contaminantes del suelo ha sido demostrada; de tal manera que, la cartografía de la distribución de As puede contribuir en el entendimiento de la presencia de As en el suelo y en aguas subterráneas (Reimann et al, 2009). Esto hace suponer que al determinar una línea base de concentraciones iniciales de As disponible en los suelos de una región, así como su relación con los contenidos de arcilla, calcio y fósforo; además de la distribución espacial de este metaloide, se lograría una mejor comprensión del problema de arsenicismo, lo cual contribuiría en la formulación de estrategias de manejo agrícola y ambiental.…”