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Magnetic susceptibility and electrical conductivity as a proxy for evaluating soil contaminated with arsenic, cadmium and lead in a metallurgical area in the San Luis Potosi State, Mexico

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Abstract

A total of 113 samples of waste and soil were collected from a site in the state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, that was occupied for several years by the metallurgical industry. Specific magnetic susceptibility (MS), electrical conductivity (EC) and pH were determined, as well as the total and available concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) such as As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn, which may cause a health risk for humans, animals and ecosystems, and the concentrations of major ions in aqueous extracts of soils and wastes. The solid phases of the samples were also characterized. The results revealed that the soils and wastes exhibited elevated values of PTEs, MS and EC. For soils these values decreased with increasing distance from the waste storage sites. The MS values were elevated primarily due to the presence of Fe-oxyhydroxides, such as magnetite, hematite and goethite, which contain PTEs in their structure leading to a high correlation between the value of MS and the As, Cd, Fe and Pb contents (r = 0.57–0.91) as well as between the PTEs values (r = 0.68–0.92). The elevated EC values measured in the metallurgical wastes were the result of presence of the sulfate minerals of Ca, Mg and Fe. The pollution index, which indicates the levels of simultaneous toxicity from elements such as As, Cd and Pb, was determined, with extreme hazard zones corresponding to areas that exhibit high MS values (0.91 correlation). In conclusion, MS measurements can be used as an indirect indicator to evaluate the PTE contamination in metallurgical areas, and EC measurements can aid in the identification of pollution sources.

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Acknowledgments

We express our gratitude to Industrial Minera México (IMMSA) for their financial and logistic support. We acknowledge F. Vega, I. Ramos-Bautista, D. Ramos, T. Pi (Institute of Geology), and C. Linares (Institute of Geophysics) for their assistance in sample preparation and laboratory analysis. Finally, we are thankful for the comments of anonymous reviewers who helped improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth Science, Institute of Geology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), 04510, Mexico City, Mexico

    Isabel Pérez

  2. Institute of Geology, UNAM, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico

    Francisco Martín Romero & Olivia Zamora

  3. Environmental Bio-Geochemistry Group, Facultad de Química, UNAM, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico

    Margarita Eugenia Gutiérrez-Ruiz

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  1. Isabel Pérez
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  2. Francisco Martín Romero
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  3. Olivia Zamora
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  4. Margarita Eugenia Gutiérrez-Ruiz
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Correspondence to Isabel Pérez or Francisco Martín Romero.

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Pérez, I., Romero, F.M., Zamora, O. et al. Magnetic susceptibility and electrical conductivity as a proxy for evaluating soil contaminated with arsenic, cadmium and lead in a metallurgical area in the San Luis Potosi State, Mexico. Environ Earth Sci 72, 1521–1531 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3057-4

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