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Geoscience ›› 2011, Vol. 25 ›› Issue (1): 169-175.

• Water Resource and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Assessment of the Heavy Metal Pollution and the Potential Ecological Hazard in Urban Soil of Shijiazhuang City

 CUI  Xing-Tao1, LUAN  Wen-Lou1, GUO  Hai-Quan2, LI  Sui-Min1, SONG  Ze-Feng1   

  1. 1.Institute of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Shijiazhuang University of Economics, Shijiazhuang, Hebei050031, China;
    2.Institute of Geological Survey of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei050051, China
  • Online:2011-02-24 Published:2011-02-27

Abstract:

With the urban soil of Shijiazhuang city as a target, this essay evaluates the environmental quality of soil heavy metals and pollution characteristics by adopting the single factor index method and Nemerow comprehensive index method. Besides, the potential ecological hazard index suggested by Hakanson is used to assess the ecological hazard of heavy metal in urban soil. The results show that the elements, according to the pollution degree of heavy metal, are followed by the order of Cd>Zn>Hg>Cr>Ni>Pb>Cu>As. Most importantly, Cu, Pb, As and most of Ni are in a clean and safe condition, only to find 0.45% of Ni in an alert state. However, Cd, Hg, Zn, Cr are all in the pollution state, especially the pollution of Cd represents the largest polluted area, reaching 1.36%. On the whole, Integrated Pollution Assessment showed the soil environment is good, in which clean, safe, alert, contaminated soil area ratio is 65%, 31.82%, 2.73 %, 0.45% respectively; and alert and contaminated soil area accounts for 3.18%. Its formation may be related to industrial production and human activities. Heavy metal elements resulting in potential ecological hazard of heavy metals are mainly Hg and Cd, which have reached to strong potential ecological hazard level and moderate potential ecological hazard level, the remaining heavy metals are all mild potential ecological hazard. Considering synthetically the potential ecological hazard of heavy metals, we found that the percentage of small, medium, high and strong ecological hazard is respectively 38.6%, 53.2%, 7.3%, 0.9%. Therefore, the general performance is the medium potential ecological hazard.

Key words: urban soil, heavy metal contamination, potential ecological hazard, assessment, Shijiazhuang

CLC Number: