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Application of EDXRF in a survey of concentrations of lead, zinc and arsenic in soil from selected areas in Krakow, Poland
Author(s) -
Ostachowicz Jerzy,
Ostachowicz Beata,
Hołyńska Barbara,
Baran Władysław
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
x‐ray spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.447
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1097-4539
pISSN - 0049-8246
DOI - 10.1002/xrs.1300240211
Subject(s) - contamination , arsenic , environmental chemistry , zinc , environmental science , heavy metals , soil test , soil contamination , environmental engineering , metallurgy , soil water , chemistry , materials science , soil science , ecology , biology
An investigation on the contamination by heavy metals of the surface layer of soil in the area around steelworks located in an industrial quarter of Krakow and in several locations in the city centre was carried out. Particular attention was paid to soil contamination by Pb, Zn and As. The EDXRF technique with radioisotope excitation was applied with the emission‐transmission method for matrix correction. Analyses of over 140 samples of soil were performed. The concentrations obtained of Pb and Zn were 15–200 and 40–650 μg g −1 , respectively, whereas that of As was 0–30 μg g −1 . The distributions of Pb contents in two regions of Krakow were similar whereas the distributions of Zn contents were different. Higher concentrations of Zn were observed in the industrial area. Such results suggest that there are different sources of contamination of the soil: the Pb content is from transportation and Zn is mainly from industry.