Contamination of surface soils from a heavy industrial area in the North of Spain

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the soil contamination in the surroundings of a heavy industrial area located in Spain. k₀-INAA was used to measure the concentration of 21 elements in soils. The extent of the contamination was evaluated by calculation of the index of geoaccumulation, contamination factor and enrichment factor. A multivariate statistical analysis was used to identify source profiles. This work indicated that the surface soils are affected by airborne supply of elements from natural and anthropogenic sources. Results showed the existence of high levels of contamination for the elements Zn, Sb, As and Br.