Determination of geochemical baselines and evaluation of potentially toxic elements in agricultural soils of Ramhormoz Plain, Iran

ABSTRACT

The present study was conducted to investigate the heavy metal pollution status of the agricultural soils in Ramhormoz Plain, Khuzestan province, Iran. A total of 54 samples from the depths (0–20 cm) of the soil were collected from the selected areas in (March) 2021. According to the obtained results, the concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, Al in soil samples were 1.3, 0.68, 60, 10.6, 0.01, 218, 23, 3.65, 14 and 0.58 mg/kg, respectively, in which As showed significant soil contamination and Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn and Al moderate contamination according to the calculation of contamination factor (CF). PCA analysis revealed that both anthropogenic and natural sources of pollution like agricultural and transport activities contributed to the enrichment of study area. Investigation of ecological risk indicated that Ramhormoz Plain was categorized as a high risk area.

KEYWORDS:

• Soil pollution
• geochemical indices
• Ramhormoz plain
• heavy metals
• risk

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2023.2283060

Availability of data and materials

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

The funding for this research was provided by Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran (Grant no ETRC 9635).