Chandramohan, M.S.; Silva, I.M.; Silva, J.E. Concentrations of Potentially Toxic Elements in Topsoils of Urban Agricultural Areas of Rome. Environments2024, 11, 34.
Chandramohan, M.S.; Silva, I.M.; Silva, J.E. Concentrations of Potentially Toxic Elements in Topsoils of Urban Agricultural Areas of Rome. Environments 2024, 11, 34.
Chandramohan, M.S.; Silva, I.M.; Silva, J.E. Concentrations of Potentially Toxic Elements in Topsoils of Urban Agricultural Areas of Rome. Environments2024, 11, 34.
Chandramohan, M.S.; Silva, I.M.; Silva, J.E. Concentrations of Potentially Toxic Elements in Topsoils of Urban Agricultural Areas of Rome. Environments 2024, 11, 34.
Abstract
Urban gardens have important social, environmental and economic roles in big cities, contributing to their sustainability. However, food production in urban gardens may be compromised due to soil pollution that resulted from decades of industrial non-regulated environmental activity and mobile transport. In this study, 12 soils from the urban agricultural area of Rome (Italy) were analyzed for the metals Be, Ba, Pb, Co, Ni, V, Zn, Hg, Cd, As, Cu, and Cr. All but one of the soils under analysis were characterized by at least one metal concentration above the threshold limit defined by the Italian Legislative Decree 152/2006 (ILD) for agricultural soils. Multivariate analysis showed that the soils could be classified into five clusters: clusters I and II had relatively lower mean metal concentrations; clusters III, IV, and V had relatively higher mean metal concentrations with several metal concentrations above the threshold proposed by ILD. Three factors contributing to the variability of the metal’s concentration in the soils under investigation were identified: geological factor, related with metals As, Ba, Be, and V; anthropogenic factor, related with Pb and Cu; and, a mixed factor related with Co, Cr, Ni, and Zn. High metal content may limit the utilization of urban soils as urban gardens for food production.
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science
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