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Contamination of Urban Soils in an Area of Northern France Polluted by Dust Emissions of Two Smelters

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Abstract

The contamination of 27 urban topsoils has been assessed around two lead and zinc smelters (Metaleurop Nord and Umicore) in the North of France. Eighteen trace elements have been analysed (Ag, As, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, In, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Tl, Th, U and Zn). The investigation included the study of the vertical distribution of Cd, Pb and Zn as indicators of pollution. It was shown that Cd, In, Pb, Sb and Zn were major pollutants followed in lesser quantities by Ag, Bi, Cu and Hg. In addition, As, Ni, Se, Sn and Tl were present at levels slightly higher than regional agricultural values. The other elements (Co, Cr, Th and U) were at endogenous levels. The observations have highlighted the strong heterogeneity of the physico-chemical parameters of urban soils and the existence of heavy contamination of the under layers by Cd, Pb and Zn. A potential transfer of metals from the topsoil to the deeper layers and especially Cd and Zn, is not excluded. Indeed the soil rework is not the only factor explaining contamination level of the deeper layers of the studied soils. The comparison of the studied element concentrations in urban soils with nearby local agricultural values shows that the dust emission originating from the Metaleurop and Umicore smelters were not the only source of contamination. Thus a large contamination of the studied urban soils by Sb and In could be explained by domestic combustion of coal for heating.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thanks the Nord Pas-de-Calais council, the French Ministry of Research, the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) and the “Direction Régionale des Affaires Sanitaires et Sociales du Nord-Pas de Calais” and Lille Catholic University, both of whom contributed to their financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Sols et Environnement, Institut Supérieur d’Agriculture, 48, boulevard Vauban, 59046, Lille Cedex, France

    Francis Douay, Christelle Pruvot, Helene Roussel, Herve Fourrier & Christophe Waterlot

  2. Laboratoire d’Analyses des Sols, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, 273, rue de Cambrai, 62000, Arras, France

    Henri Ciesielski & Nicolas Proix

Authors
  1. Francis Douay
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  2. Christelle Pruvot
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  3. Helene Roussel
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  4. Henri Ciesielski
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  5. Herve Fourrier
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  6. Nicolas Proix
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  7. Christophe Waterlot
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francis Douay.

Appendix

Appendix

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Douay, F., Pruvot, C., Roussel, H. et al. Contamination of Urban Soils in an Area of Northern France Polluted by Dust Emissions of Two Smelters. Water Air Soil Pollut 188, 247–260 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-007-9541-7

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