Risk assessment through evaluation of potentially toxic metals in the surface soils of the Qassim area, Central Saudi Arabia
Document Type
Article
Source of Publication
Italian Journal of Geosciences
Publication Date
6-1-2016
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
DOI Link
ISSN
Publisher
Societa Geologica Italiana
Volume
135
Issue
2
First Page
210
Last Page
216
Disciplines
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Keywords
Central Saudi Arabia, Metals, Potential ecological risk, Soil pollution
Scopus ID
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). All Works. 2988.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/2988
Indexed in Scopus
yes
Open Access
no