Assessment of the Contamination of Cultivated Soils by Eighteen Trace Elements Around Smelters in the North of France

ISSN： 0049-6979

Source： Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, Vol.135, Iss.1-4, 2002-03, pp. : 173-194

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Abstract

Ag, As, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, In, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Tl, Th, U and Zn contamination of cultivated surface horizons has been assessed around two lead and zinc smelters in the North of France. The vertical distribution of Ag, As, Bi, Cu, Hg, Se, Sb and Tl in the soils has also been examined. The soils around the lead and zinc smelter at Noyelles-Godault are contaminated by Ag, As, Bi, Cd, Cu, Hg, In, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Tl and Zn. The original concentration in the most contaminated soils may be multiplied by a factor of around 2 to 100, according to the element. Cadmium, Pb and Zn are the most abundant contaminants. The Pb and Zn concentrations are correlated to those of the other contaminants, with the exception of Se. Around the Auby zinc smelter, there is a contamination by the same elements, but in different proportions, in addition to Cr contamination. Contamination by Se can reach a depth of around 1 m, whereas contamination by Ag, As, Bi, Cu, Hg, Sb and Tl is confined to the top 30 cm. Although the contaminant content in most soils depends on the distance from the plant, Se contamination would appear to vary to a greater extent according to the physico-chemical soil conditions.