Contamination and source assessment of metals, polychlorinated biphenyls, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urban soils from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Urban areas in developing countries are facing vast environmental problems as a result of rapid urbanization and industrialization. Of major concern is the contamination of soils which are increasingly becoming sinks for environmental pollutants. However, to date only little is known about the pollution in the megalopolises of developing countries. The aim of this study was to assess the contamination and potential sources of metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the urban environment of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The investigation revealed the presence of most of the analyzed pollutants in soil and sediment samples with total concentrations (dry wt) of PAHs ranging from 186 to 3150 µg kg⁻¹, PCBs from 0.4 to 19 µg kg⁻¹, Cu from 14 to 173 mg kg⁻¹, Zn from 36 to 440 mg kg⁻¹, Pb from 9 to 700 mg kg⁻¹, and Ni from 16 to 72 mg kg⁻¹. In addition, polyaromatic sulfur heterocycles, typical for oil and petrol residues, were detected in several soil samples. Source identification approaches revealed that Pb, Zn, and Cu are most likely derived from pyrolytic sources, with elevated values in samples related to waste combustion and traffic emissions. Ni is most probably of geogenic origin. For PCBs it is indicated that they are derived from a single source. However, correlations with technical PCB mixtures were inconsistent. PAHs originate from the combustion of biomass, vehicular exhausts, and petrogenic sources.

Keywords:

• soil
• sediment
• developing countries
• urban areas
• PASH
• source apportionment
• distribution patterns
• PAH ratios
• HCA
• PCA

Acknowledgments

We thank the laboratory staff of the Soil Science Department at the University of Bayreuth, especially I. Thaufelder, for help during the laboratory work and the BayCEER laboratory staff for the analysis of metals. K. Walter significantly contributed to the metal part. The German Research Foundation (DFG) supported the study (Project ZE 156/56).