Using Contamination Indices for Assessments of Heavy Metals Status of Soils around Mercury Mine, in Kurşunlu, (Konya) Province

Abstract

The objective of this study was to establish contamination level for, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, As, Hg, Sb, Co, and Cd in soils around the old Hg mine area central part of Turkey. 34surface samples from mine area were collected. Samples were digested and the metals were determined by ICP-OES and assess metal contamination in soils by using Enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (Cf), Geoaccumulation index (Igeo), hazard quotient (HQ) (individual metal), contamination index (Cd), modified contamination index (mCd), pollution load index (PLI), and hazard load index (HLI) (multi metal). Enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (Cf), Geoaccumulation index (Igeo), hazard quotient (HQ)indicate that the soil in the most of studied points were unpolluted, slightly polluted or moderate degree of pollution with respect to Pb, Cr, Cd, Zn, Cu, Co and Ni, while the soils in all studied stations were extremely contaminated with respect to Hg, Sb and As. When the obtained result to by evaluated the cumulative effect of metal pollution load index (PLI), the contamination degree (Cd) and modified Contamination Degree (mCd), and hazard load index were found to be very high high pollution, ultra-high degree pollution and medium pollution respectively indicating that the studied soils in were polluted by total of studied heavy metals.