Title
Risk assessment through evaluation of potentially toxic metals in the surface soils of the Qassim area, Central Saudi Arabia
Source of Publication
Italian Journal of Geosciences
Abstract
© Società Geologica Italiana, Roma 2016. Metal pollution is an increasing environmental problem worldwide, especially in regions undergoing rapid development. The present work highlights the extent of metal pollution in the central part of Saudi Arabia, which is currently experiencing significant agricultural development. The study determined concentrations of Hg, Cd, Zn, As, Mo, Cu, Pb and Cr in surface soils, assessing the level of pollution and potential ecological risks using soil quality guidelines, the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), the Hakanson potential ecological risk index (RI) and standard statistical analysis methods. Overall, the mean potential ecological risk values of metals in the surveyed soils display the following decreasing trend: Hg
Document Type
Article
First Page
210
Last Page
216
Publication Date
6-1-2016
DOI
10.3301/IJG.2015.10
Recommended Citation
Nazzal, Yousef; Howari, Fares M.; Jafri, Muhammad Kamran; Naeem, Muhammad; and Ghrefat, Habes, "Risk assessment through evaluation of potentially toxic metals in the surface soils of the Qassim area, Central Saudi Arabia" (2016). Scopus Indexed Articles. 1523.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/scopus-indexed-articles/1523