Road side soils pollution by heavy metals along the expressway between Mansoura and Cairo, Nile Delta, Egypt

Abstract

Concentrations of Pb, Cu, Co, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Zn were measured in road side soils samples in two size fractions ( 62.5 µm and 62.5 µm to 1mm). Averages of concentrations of Pb, Cu, Co, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Zn in the road side soil samples along expressway between Mansoura and Cairo compared with Canadian soil quality guidelines (CSQGs) of Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.(CCME) and other standard of average shale. Contamination indices and ecological risk indices were analyzed to assess heavy metal contamination of road side soils using single and integrated indices. In this study, contamination factor (CF), ecological risk factor (Er) and index of geo-accumulation (Igeo), as single indices, and the pollution load index (PLI), the degree of contamination (Dc) and the potential ecological risk index (RI), as integrated indices, were calculated. Keywords: Size fractions- Pollution indices-Road side soils- Expressway-CSQGs Concentrations of Pb, Cu, Co, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Zn were measured in road side soils samples in two size fractions ( 62.5 µm and 62.5 µm to 1mm). Averages of concentrations of Pb, Cu, Co, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Zn in the road side soil samples along expressway between Mansoura and Cairo compared with Canadian soil quality guidelines (CSQGs) of Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.(CCME) and other standard of average shale. Contamination indices and ecological risk indices were analyzed to assess heavy metal contamination of road side soils using single and integrated indices. In this study, contamination factor (CF), ecological risk factor (Er) and index of geo-accumulation (Igeo), as single indices, and the pollution load index (PLI), the degree of contamination (Dc) and the potential ecological risk index (RI), as integrated indices, were calculated. Keywords: Size fractions- Pollution indices-Road side soils- Expressway-CSQGs