Determination and evaluation of cadmium, lead and nickel in greenhouse soils of Almerı́a (Spain)

Concentrations of Available Heavy Metals in Mediterranean Agricultural Soils and their Relation with Some Soil Selected Properties: A Case Study in Typical Mediterranean Soils

“…Total heavy metals were determined following the method described in EPA 3052 [18]. The concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn (total and available) were determined by ICP-OES (IRIS INTREPID II XDL THERMO).…”

“…However, there is still very little direct measurement data or predictions of the available fraction of metals in soils. In Portugal and Spain for instance, there is hardly any information at all on available heavy metals in agricultural soils, and this lack of information is reflected in poorly informed legislation, which does not take soil characteristics into account [17,18]. The initial soil pH and the ability of plant roots to change the pH have been found to be the principal predictors of the exchange of heavy metals, and therefore of their bioavailability [19].…”

“…It is widely accepted that the BL and GBC were the best approach to establish the levels of non-contaminated soils 26 Different approaches have been taken to establishing the GBC of trace elements in Mediterranean soils [12,18,[29][30][31]. Most have centered on the total heavy metal content without considering the bioavailability of the different elements involved [32], even though, according to Baldantoni et al [33], bioavailability constitutes the best indicator of the potential impact of these contaminants.…”

“…The geochemical baseline concentration (GBC) and background level (BL) of different heavy metals in soils have been studied in various Mediterranean countries [12,18,[23][24][25][26][27][28]. It is widely accepted that the BL and GBC were the best approach to establish the levels of non-contaminated soils 26 Different approaches have been taken to establishing the GBC of trace elements in Mediterranean soils [12,18,[29][30][31].…”

Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution of Greenhouse Areas in the Eastern Part of Antalya (Turkey)

“…However, calcium carbonate rates were ranged low and high levels. These soil characteristics, together with irrigation by sprinklers and agricultural practices, suggest that intensive greenhouses agriculture is the main cause of soil contamination by heavy metals and that theoretically the heavy metal availability will be lower [14].…”