ECOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF UNCOMMON HEAVY METALS CONTAMINATION IN THE SOILS OF THE CENTRAL PROVINCE OF UŞAK, WESTERN TURKIYE

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the concentrations of the uncommon heavy metals (Ag, Bi, Co, Sb, Th, Tl, U, and V) in 90 soil samples obtained from both urban and agricultural lands near Uşak, western Turkiye to investigate dimensions of the existing ecological pollution using geoaccumulation and enrichment factor indices, and to identify their potential pollutants. The concentration values for the selected elements ranged from 0.01 to 0.46 mg/kg for silver (Ag); 0.07 to 0.72 mg/kg for bismuth (Bi); 7.9 to 55.8 mg/kg for cobalt (Co); 0.12 to 27.99 mg/kg antimony (Sb); 3.4 to 17.7 mg/kg for thorium (Th); 0.04 to 0.5 mg/kg for thallium (Tl); 0.3 to 7.3 mg/kg for uranium (U); and 18 to 72 mg/kg for vanadium (V). Igeo values of Ag showed moderate to heavy contamination in the city center of Uşak province. Igeo values of Bi and Sb in the west part of the study area indicated extremely contaminated soils. EF values for Bi and Sb also showed significant enrichment in the soils in the western portion of the study area which further validates that the potential sources for Bi and Sb heavy metals contaminations might be anthropogenic.