Assessment of the Spatial Distribution of Metal(Oid)s in Soils Around an Abandoned Pb-Smelter Plant

Abstract

Todos os Santos (All Saints) Bay area, NE-Brazil, is known for one of the most important cases of urban lead (Pb) contamination in the world. The main objective of this work was to assess and interpret the spatial distribution of As, Cd, Hg, Pb, and Zn in "background" soils of this environmentally impacted bay area, using a combination of geostatistical and multivariate analytical methods to distinguish between natural and anthropogenic sources of those metal(oid)s in soils. We collected 114 topsoil samples (0.0-0.2 m depth) from 38 sites. The median values for trace metal concentrations in soils (mg kg) followed the order Pb (33.9) > Zn (8.8) > As (1.2) > Cd (0.2) > Hg (0.07), clearly reflecting a Pb-contamination issue. Principal component analysis linked Cd, Pb, and Zn to the same factor (F1), chiefly corroborating their anthropogenic origin; yet, both Pb and Zn are also influenced by natural lithogenic sources. Arsenic and Hg concentrations (F2) are likely related to the natural component alone; their parent material (igneous-metamorphic rocks) seemingly confirm this hypothesis. The heterogeneity of sources and the complexity of the spatial distribution of metals in large areas such as the Todos os Santos Bay warrant, the importance of multivariate and geostatistical analyses in the interpretation of environmental data.

Pollution assessment and source apportionment of trace elements in Brazilian urban topsoils

“…In addition to the distance from the pollutant source and the presence of afforestation, physicochemical characteristics are also important to evaluate the interaction capacity between soils and metals, as they influence soil adsorption capacity (Denaix et al, 2001;Kabata-Pendias and Pendias, 2001). Dos Santos et al (2017) observed that clay soils showed higher Pb and Zn concentrations than sandy soils when exposed to identical anthropogenic sources. Tume et al (2018b), in turn, found a positive correlation between Pb concentrations and organic matter content.…”

<b>Metabolic alterations and X-ray chlorophyll fluorescence for the early detection of lead stress in castor bean (<i>Ricinus communis</i>) plants

“…Environmental contamination by lead (Pb) could originate from anthropogenic sources such as sewage sludge, mining, metallurgy, or waste and pollutant emissions from various industrial activities. Once Pb enters the soil system, it can be transferred to various trophic levels, compromising environmental quality (Ren, Wang, & Zhang, 2006;Gamiño-Gutiérrez, González-Pérez, Gonsebatt, & Monroy-Fernández, 2013;Li, Lin, Cheng, Duan, & Lei, 2015;Santos, Nascimento, Matschullat, & Olinda, 2016).…”

Composição inorgânica, análise dos teores de elementos-traço e identificação de possíveis fontes poluentes em solos urbanos de Limeira-SP

“…Em geral, quanto maior a quantidade de argila, maior a CTC do solo(Adriano, 2001). DosSantos et al (2017) verificaram que solos argilosos apresentaram concentrações superiores de Pb e Zn em relação a solos arenosos expostos as mesmas fontes antrópicas. JáTume et al, (2018a), verificaram uma correlação positiva entre Pb e conteúdo de matéria orgânica.…”