APPLICATION OF EDXRF IN A SURVEY OF CONCENTRATIONS OF LEAD, ZINC AND ARSENIC IN SOIL FROM SELECTED AREAS IN KRAKOW, POLAND

摘要

An investigation on the contamination by heavy metals of the surface layer of soil in the area around steelworks located in an industrial quarter of Krakow and in several locations in the city centre was carried out. Particular attention was paid to soil contamination by Pb, Zn and As. The EDXRF technique with radioisotope excitation was applied with the emission-transmission method for matrix correction. Analyses of over 140 samples of soil were performed. The concentrations obtained of Pb and Zn were 15-200 and 40-650 mug g-1, respectively, whereas that of As was 0-30 mug g-1. The distributions of Pb contents in two regions of Krakow were similar whereas the distributions of Zn contents were different. Higher concentrations of Zn were observed in the industrial area. Such results suggest that there are different sources of contamination of the soil: the Pb content is from transporation and Zn is mainly from industry. [References: 6]