Skip to main content

Comparative assessment of baseline concentration of the heavy metals in the soils of Tehran (Iran) with the comprisable reference data

Environmental Earth Sciences volume 63, pages 1179–1188 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

Industrial soil systems have become complex due to human activities, as they disturb the natural development of soil and add hazardous elements. Hence, there is a growing public concern over the accumulation of heavy metals in soil due to the rapid industrial development during the last decade in Iran. The objectives of the present study are to carry out comparative assessment of the heavy metals in soils of the Chitgar Industrial Area Tehran (Iran) with average world guidelines and to evaluate enrichment and normalized scatter coefficient. In this work the concentrations of seven heavy metals (Cr, Co, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn) from the surface soils of the industrial area were quantified, based on 210 samples collected from 70 sampling stations in three consecutive seasons May 2007, November 2007 and May 2008 using 0.5 × l Km square mesh. Common comparison methods were employed to assess the quality of soils and guideline values were used to represent a desired level of elements. Comparison variables and enrichment factor showed that Pb has high-level value while normalized scatter coefficient demonstrates that Cd increases in soils more rapidly as compared to other elements. This study revealed that normalized scatter coefficient can be effectively used to evaluate soil pollution and is independent of the past.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price includes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

References

  • Alloway BJ (ed) (1995) Heavy metals in soils. Blackie, Glasgow, Scotland, pp 22–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Angelidis MO, Aloupi M (2000) Geochemical study of coastal sediments influenced by river-transported pollution: southern Evokes Gulf, Greece. Mar Pollut Bull 40:77–82

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beane JE, Turner CA, Hooper PR, Subbarao KV, Walsh JN (1986) Stratigraphy, composition and form of the Deccan Basalts, Western Ghats, India. Bull Volcano 48:61–83

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowen HJM (1979) The environmental chemistry of the elements. Academic Press, London, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Burau RG (1982) Lead. In: Page AL, Miller RH, Keeney DR (eds) Methods of soil analysis, part 2-chemical and properties, pp 347–365

  • Committee of Soil Standard Methods for Analyses, Measurements (1986) Soil standard methods for analyses and measurements. Hakuyusha, Tokyo

    Google Scholar 

  • De Miguel E, Charlesworth S, Ordóñez A, Seijas E (2005) Geochemical fingerprints and controls in the sediments of an urban river: river Manzanares, Madrid (Spain). Sci Total Environ 340:137–148

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demirel Z, Kulege K (2005) Monitoring of spatial and temporal hydrochemical changes in groundwater under the contaminating effects of anthropogenic activities in Mersin region, Turkey. Environ Monit Assess 101:129–145

    Google Scholar 

  • Demlie M, Wohnlich S (2006) Soil and groundwater pollution of an urban catchment by trace metals: case study of the Addis Ababa region, central Ethiopia. Environ Geol 51:421–443

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denny P (1987) Monitoring of heavy metals—a proposed strategy for developing countries. In: Huchinson TC, Meema KM (eds) Lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic in the environment. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • EEA (1999) Environmental assessment No. 2, prepared in collaboration with large number of individual in EEA, EIONET and other institutions, published by the European Environment Agency, Copenhagen, pp 446, ISBN: 92-9167-202-0, Catalogue No:GH-18-98-784-EN-C

  • Esson J (1983) Geochemistry of nickel ferrous literate profile, Liber4dade Brazil. In: Wilson RCL (ed) Residual depositions: surface related leathering process and materials, pp 91–99

  • Fancher JR (1973) Trace element emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels. In: Curry MG, Gigliotti GM (eds) Cycling and control of metals. National Environmental Research Council, Cincinnati, p 88

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs RJ (1993) Metals of the bottom muds in Townsville harbor, Australia. Environ Pollut 81:297–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goovaerts P (2001) Geo-statistical modeling of uncertainty in soil science. Geoderma 103:3–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Govil PK, Reddy GLN, Gnaneswara Rao T (1999) Environmental pollution due to heavy metals and radiogenic elements in Nacharam Lake India. J Environ Health 61:23–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Haar GLT, Griffig MG, Brandt M, Oberding DG, Kapson M (1975) Methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl as antiknock: composition and fate of manganese exhaust product. J Air Pollut Control Assoc 28:858–860

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrison RM, Laxen DPH, Wilson SJ (1981) Chemical associations of lead, cadmium, copper, and zinc in street dusts and roadside soils. Environ Sci Tech 15:1378–1383

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hungarian Governmental regulation (2000) Magyar Kozlony (VI.2.), 53:3156–3167

  • Krauskopf K (1979) Introduction to geochemistry. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, p 23

    Google Scholar 

  • Krishna AK, Govil PK (2005) Heavy metal distribution and contamination in soils of Thane-Belapur industrial development area, Mumbai, Western India. Environ Geol 47(8):1054–1061

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krishna AK, Govil PK (2007) Soil contamination due to heavy metals from an industrial area of surat, Gujarat, Western India. Environ Monit Assess 124:263–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar S, Shirke KD, Pawar NJ (2008) GIS-based colour composites and overlays to delineate heavy metal contamination zones in the shallow alluvial aquifers, Ankaleshwar industrial estate, south Gujarat, India. Environ Geol 54:117–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lau PF (1994) A survey of heavy metal contents in children playgrounds in Hong Kong. B.Sc thesis, Hong Kong Baptisat University, Hong Kong

  • Lau WM, Wong MH (1982) An ecological survey of heavy metal contents in roadside dusts and soils in Hong Kong. Environ Res 28:39–54

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li X, Lee S, Wong S, Shi W, Thornton I (2004) The study of metal contamination in urban soils of Hong-Kong using a GIS-based approach. Environ Pollut 129(1):113–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loring DH, Rantala RTT (1992) Manual for the geochemical analyses of marine sediments and suspended particulate matter. Earth Sci Rev 32:235–283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin JM, Whitfield M (1983) The significance of the river input of chemical elements to the ocean. In: Wong CS, Boyle E, Bruland KW, Burton JD, Goldberg ED (eds) Trace elements in seawater. Plenum, New York, pp 265–296

    Google Scholar 

  • McBridge MB (1994) Environmental chemistry of soils. Oxford university press Inc., New York, pp 308–341

  • Olade MA (1987) Heavy metal pollution and the need for monitoring: illustration for developing countries in West Africa. In: Huchinson TC, Meema KM (eds) Lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic in the environment. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Pierzynski GM, Sims JT, Vance GF (1994) Soils and environmental quality. Boca Raton, Lewis

    Google Scholar 

  • Romic M, Romic D (2003) Heavy metal distribution in agricultural topsoil’s in urban area. Environ Geol 43:795–805

    Google Scholar 

  • Romic M, Romic D, Kraljickovic J (2001) Copper in vinyard soils. In: Proceedings 9th congress of croatian society of soil science, land management and soil protection for future generations, 3–7 July, Brijumi, Croatia

  • Sayyed MRG (1996) Control of lithology on weathering processes: a case study of the Vasai-Virar area, Maharashtra, India. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Pune, India

  • Schiff KC, Weisberg SB (1999) Iron as a reference element for determining trace metal enrichment in Southern California coastal shelf sediments. Mar Environ Res 48:161–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Srinivasa Gowd S, Govil PK (2007) Distribution of heavy metals in surface water of Ranipet industrial area in Tamil Nadu, India. Environ Monit Assess 136:197–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Subramanian V, Datta Dilip K (1998) Distribution and fractionation of heavy metals in the surface sediment of the Gangae–Brahmaputra–Meghna river system in the Bengal basin. Environ Geol 36(1–2):93–101

    Google Scholar 

  • Tolonen M (1972) Industrial toxicity of manganese. Work Environ Health 9:53–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Turkian KK, Wedepohl KH (1961) Distribution of the elements in some major units of the Earth’s crust. Geol Soc Am Bull 72:175–192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valdes J, Vargas G, Siffedine A, Ortlieb L, Guinez M (2005) Distribution and enrichment evaluation of heavy metals in Mejillones Bay (23 S), Northern Chile: geochemical and statistical approach. Mar Pollut Bull 50:1558–1568

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yassaghi A, Salari-Rad H, Kanani-Moghadam H (2005) Geomechanical evaluations of Karaj tuffs for rock tunneling in Tehran–Shomal Freeway, Iran. Eng Geol 77:83–98

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the two anonymous referees who gave their critical and constructive comments which helped in improving the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, University of Pune, Pune, 411007, India

    M. H. Sayadi

  2. Department of Geology, Poona College, Camp, Pune, 411001, India

    M. R. G. Sayyed

Authors
  1. M. H. Sayadi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. R. G. Sayyed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. H. Sayadi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sayadi, M.H., Sayyed, M.R.G. Comparative assessment of baseline concentration of the heavy metals in the soils of Tehran (Iran) with the comprisable reference data. Environ Earth Sci 63, 1179–1188 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-010-0792-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-010-0792-z

Keywords

  • Chitgar industrial area
  • Heavy metals
  • Enrichment factor
  • Normalized scatter coefficient