Contamination of soil and street dust with lead and cadmium near a lead smelter at Arnhem, Netherlands.

Abstract

An investigation was carried out into lead and cadmium pollution of soil and street dust in the vicinity of a secondary lead smelter in Arnhem, Netherlands. A significant correlation was found between the Pb content of the soil and the distance from the smelter. In the sampling area 1 km around the smelter the average Pb content was 370 mg/kg in the 0-5 cm soil layer and 256 mg/kg in the 5-20 cm soil layer. Mean Cd contents were 1.60 and 1.28 mg/kg, respectively. Correlation between the contents in both layers was low for Pb and high for Cd, owing to different solubilities of the metals. There was a weak relationship between the Pb and Cd contents of the soil, suggesting that only part of the metals originated from the same source. Mean heavy metal concentrations in street dust (fraction < 0.3 mm) were 761 mg Pb/kg and 3.81 mg Cd/kg. Correlation between both heavy metals in street dust was high, suggesting the same sources of pollution (mainly traffic). The most important sources of Pb and Cd pollution in the area were the lead smelter and traffic. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)