Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination in Urban Soils of selected areas in Hilla City, Babylon, Iraq

Abstract

Modern cities suffer from heavy metal pollution due to urban expansion and population increase. Heavy metals have a great impact on human health. The objective is to determine the contamination level of heavy metals Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Zr and Pb at industrial and residential in Hilla city. The mean concentration of Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Zr and Pb enrichment factors of the investigated industrial soils are 3.43, 0.74, 6.45, 3.95, 5.60, 3.44, 1.17 and 11.44, respectively. The means of Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Zr and Pb in residential soils are 3.30, 1.09, 11.40, 0.94, 2.08, 5.39, 0.9 and 3.6, respectively. The I-geo mean values of heavy elements in the industrial area may be ordered in the following: Mn> Pb> Ni> Zn> Cu> As> Cr> Zr. While in the residential area ordered Mn> Ni> As>Cr> Pb> Zn> Cu > Zr. Integrated Pollution Load Index categories results showed high contamination in industrial and residential areas. The main sources of heavy elements pollution in the study area has been regarded as anthropogenic sources.

Calculation of soil pollution indices with elements in residential areas of Baghdad city

“…This result showed that lead and Cd in Baghdad City pollute soils. Similar results were recorded in previous studies in Baghdad City 17 and Al-Hila City 18 in Iraq.…”

Estimation and Distribution of Some Heavy Metals in Urban Soils at Kufa, Najaf Governorate: An Environmental Geochemistry Research

“…The important indices that are employed to assess the presence and density of anthropogenic pollutants in soil are the Enrichment Factor (EF) and Geo-accumulation index (Igeo) [8].…”

“…Their impact on food safety and adverse health risks make them one of the most dangerous environmental cases [6]. Environmental pollution of the biosphere with heavy metals due to dense agricultural and other anthropogenic activities demonstrates critical problems for the secure use of agricultural land [7], [8]. Consumption of foods produced on contaminated soil directly affects human health [9], [10].…”

Assessment of health risk and geo-accumulation of toxic heavy metals in side-road dust from urban areas of Baghdad city

“…In Mesopotamia, the highest concentration of Pb is recorded in mid Euphrates and further south toward the marshland. Lead records high rates in Iraqi soils (urban and rural) because it is added to engine fuel to reduce the octane number; this is the main source of soil pollution of this toxic metal 29 . Zinc concentrations are also correlated to parent rock more than to pedogenic processes.…”

“…In the North of Iraq (mountainous area), Cr concentrations are higher than the background value mainly due to the composition of the source rocks 29 . The observed concentrations were higher than the world average value (180 mg/kg); this may be due to its slow mobility in soil, so it will stay in the upper surface, but, at depth, its concentration is low (12.9 mg/kg).…”