A field screening test for the assessment of concentrations and mobility of potentially toxic elements in soils: a case study on urban soils from Rome and Novi Sad

Abstract

The increasing demand for environmental pollution control results in the development and use of new procedures for the determination of dangerous chemicals. Simple screening methods, which can be used directly in the field for a preliminary assessment of soil contamination, seem to be extremely advantageous. In our laboratory, we developed and optimized a rapid test for a preliminary evaluation of both the concentration and the mobility of some potentially toxic metals in soils. This screening test consists of a single extraction of the soil sample with a buffer solution, followed by the titration of the extracted solution with dithizone to determine the contents of bi-valent heavy metals (such as Pb, Cu, Zn, and Cd). This screening method was then directly applied in the field during the sampling campaign in the framework of an Italian-Serbian collaborative project, finalized in the study of metal availability in soils. The results obtained in the field with the rapid test were compared with those obtained in the laboratory following the conventional procedure commonly used to evaluate metal bioavailability (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic extraction). Moreover, selected samples were analyzed sequentially in the laboratory using the standardized BCR three-step sequential extraction procedure. The screening test gave results conceptually in good agreement with those obtained via the BCR procedure. These preliminary data show that the proposed screening test is a reliable method for the preliminary rapid evaluation of metal total concentrations and of potential metal mobility in soils, supporting sampling activities directly in the field.

Urban Soils and Road Dust—Civilization Effects and Metal Pollution—A Review

“…Rome urban soils originate from volcanic rocks characterized by high natural concentrations, whereas Novi Sad soils mainly derive from Danube River sediments and loess. Main additional metal input in Rome is from vehicular traffic, but in Novi Sad from previous industrial activities [74].…”

“…In Rome, topsoils contained some Pt (3-15 µg/kg) and Pd (4-16 µg/kg) due to the introduction of catalytic converters some years before sampling, whereas this was negligible in Novi Sad (<1 µg/kg) [74].…”

Concentrations of Potentially Toxic Elements in Topsoils of Urban Agricultural Areas of Rome

“…This regulatory initiative aligns with the broader context of environmental concerns, as exemplified by numerous studies focusing on metals in the urban soils of Rome and other cities in Italy. These studies have played a crucial role in enhancing our understanding of the extent and impacts of urban soil pollution [5,35,36,54,56,57,60,63,[66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73]. The regulatory standards for PTE concentrations in soil vary between countries and jurisdictions in the European Union.…”