SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF HEAVY METALS IN URBAN SOILS

Heavy metals in the surface soils from 40 points of Targoviste City, were analyzed to assess the industrial and anthropogenic impact on soil pollution. Approximately 700 surface soil samples were collected and analyzed for major heavy metals including Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb by using microwave-assisted digestion and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results indicate that Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in the surface soils were primarily derived from industrial and anthropogenic sources, while As content in the surface soils were controlled by both natural and anthropogenic sources. Approximately 10% of the soil samples were polluted from moderately to heavily by these elements.