Pollution Assessment of Heavy Metalsin Roadside Agricultural Soils
Taiba Seghier, Bouhadjera Keltoum
Abstract
Soil contamination of heavy metals is widespread, raising concerns about agricultural risks. We are investigating the concentrations and forms of the heavy metals lead, zinc, chromium, cobalt, nickel, cadmium and copper in agricultural soils near intensive traffic areas in two major cities in western Algeria: Tlemcen and Sidi Bel Abbes. We analyzed four soil samples cultivated with grapes (E1 and E2) and wheat (E3 and E4). The average concentrations of lead, cadmium, chromium and copper in these agricultural lands exceeded the environmental quality standards of soil in Europe. The average of total concentrations of nickel, cobalt and zinc are less than the environmental quality standards of soil in Europe, which is consistent with the obtained results of the contamination degrees and the potential ecological risk of a single heavy metal. (E r i