Abstract
Topsoil (0–20 cm) samples were collected from the edge of roads to the locations about 200 m off the roads along the four roads with different transportation periods in October 2005. Total concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined using the inductively coupled plasma atomic absorption spectrometry in order to assess and compare road transportation pollution. Results showed that with the exception of As, Cu and Pb, the average concentrations of heavy metals were generally, higher than the regional elemental background values. Most soil samples were moderately or highly polluted by Cd or Ni, but the contamination index (P i ) values for As, Pb and Zn were lower than other heavy metals in all sites. Among the four roads, heavy metal pollution was heavier for Dali Road due to longer transportation periods, while low or no contamination could be observed for the other roads. However, the integrated contamination index (P c ) values showed a generally low contamination or no contamination level for all soil samples in this region, followed by the order of Dali Road > Dabao Highway > Road 320 > Sixiao Highway. The same pollution source of these heavy metals was found using factor analysis.
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Acknowledgments
This work was financially supported by National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2003CB415104 and No. 2006CB403301) and the Emphasis Project Fund of National Eleven Five-Year Scientific and Technical Support Plans (No. 2006BAB04A08). We express thanks to the analysis center of Beijing Normal University. We also greatly thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments and English improvement.
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Bai, J., Cui, B., Wang, Q. et al. Assessment of heavy metal contamination of roadside soils in Southwest China. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 23, 341–347 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-008-0219-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-008-0219-5