Contamination generated by dumps is an environmental problem because the soils around the dumps are used for the cultivation of agricultural products and pastures, and could constitute a threat to human health. The contamination index and ecological risk potential for heavy metals in agricultural soils surrounding the solid waste dumps in Agua de las Vírgenes (AV) and El Eden (ED) in Huancayo were evaluated. The concentration of heavy metals in the soils was measured using an inductively coupled optical emission spectrophotometer. The average concentra-