HEAVY METAL ANALYSIS OF SOIL

INTRODUCTION:

Soil is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together
support life. Earth's body of soil is the pedosphere, which has four important functions.It is a
medium for plant growth; it is a means of water storage, supply and purification; it is a
modifier of Earth's atmosphere; it is a habitat for organisms; all of which, in turn, modify the
soil.
The development of agriculture has been largely responsible for pollution of the environment
with heavy metals (HMs). An important source of soil contamination is the mobilization of
metals from industrial regions by transport with seepage waters or by wind blown dust may
also be [1-3]. One of the sources for environmental pollution in Cement industry is cement
dust which contains HMs pollutants, hazardous to the biotic environment with impact for
vegetation, human health, animal health and ecosystem [4-6].

Dietary exposure is the main concern of HMs, in livestock. In agricultural regions diet is the
main source of HMs for animals. When evaluating livestock exposure to HMs it is important
to consider that dietary exposure will be highly conditioned by husbandry practices, dietary
ingredients, soil ingestion or spurious soil contamination in foliage being responsible for the
main HM exposure [7-9].

The HM contamination in soils has become serious environmental issue around the world for
various reasons, including industrial activities, solid waste disposal, fertilizers, pesticides,
sludge application, irrigation with wastewater, and automobile exhausts [10-13].

Anthropogenic and geologic materials, soil character, mobility of the elements, weathering
processes and environmental factors have remarkable effects on distribution [14-15]. It is
important to know that management practices can contribute to enhancing livestock metal
exposures in order to minimize their toxic effect on animals, as well as to limit metal transfer
to human feeds as much as possible.

Soil is composed of mineral constituents, organic matter (humus), living organisms, air, and
water, and it regulates the natural cycles of these components (2, 3). Heavy metals occur
naturally in soils, which are formed by geological processes, such as alteration and erosion of
the geological underground materials (4, 5). Besides the parent material, the sources of
contamination in soils are multifarious, and include agricultural and industrial pollution (4).
High rate of run-off and soil losses are the main driving forces to transport the pollutants (6,
7) thus soil erosion processes based on nature-based solutions have to be found (3).
Application of agriculture, man has become an important factor that affects the formation
and qualities of land [16]. The study of soil physicochemical parameters is important to
the agricultural farmer for plant growth and soil management.

Soil is one of the most significant ecological factors, on which plants depend for their
nutrients, water and mineral supply [17]. Soil testing is the only way to determine the
available nutrient status in soil and the only way we can develop specific fertilizer
recommendations.

Results of physical and chemical tests provide information about the capacity of soil to
supply mineral nutrients [18]. Nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and sulphur are
important soil elements that control its fertility and yields of crops [19].

Agricultural soil electrical conductivity is an indirect measurement that correlates with

several soils physical and chemical properties. Electrical conductivity is the ability of a
material to conduct an electrical current.The electrical conductivity (EC) of soil-water
mixtures indicates the amount of salts present in the soil. Salt in soil comes from the fertilizer
we apply, but also from irrigation water and dissolving soil minerals.
 Soils contain some salts, which are essential for plant growth. The electrical conductivity
measurement detects the amount of cations or anions (salts) in solution; the greater the
amount of anions or cations, the greater the electrical conductivity reading

One of the ways to assess the soil fertility status is to get soil sample tested for different soil
nutrients. Statistical analysis, as powerful tools, can provide such information and assist the
interpretation of soil tested data [20-23].

Several studies have shown that metals such as Pb, Fe, Cd, Cr, Mn, Co amongst others are
responsible for certain diseases that have lethal effects on man, animals and plant[24]. The
most common environmental pollutants in the world are heavy metals[25].

Heavy metals can accumulate in the soils to toxic levels as a result of untreated waste waters
and fertilizer[26]. The extent of soil pollution by heavy metals is very alarming because of
their toxicity which lead to adverse effects on human and ecosystem health[27].
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