A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF HEAVY METALS CONCENTRATION OF SURFACE SOILS AT METROPOLIS SQUARES WITH HIGH TRAFFIC-A CASE STUDY: KERMANSHAH, IRAN(2015)

Background and aim: Among various soils pollutants, heavy metals have great importance due to their toxicity and adverse effect on human health and environment. Therefore the aim of this study is comparing the concentration of heavy metals in surface soil of squares with high traffic at Kermanshah metropolises in 2015. Materials and methods: For conducting this study, five high traffic area and five area as a reference soil were selected and from each location, five samples were collected. Finally a total of 50 point sample and 10 composite samples were obtained from these areas. The concentration of metals were evaluated based on the standard methods with ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) device. Results: The results showed that the level of heavy metals in high traffic area and reference's soil samples were as bellow: Lead (Pb) > Nickel (Ni) > Chromium (Cr) > Vanadium (V) > Cadmium (Cd) > Selenium (Se). Also, the level of Cr, Cd and Ni in high traffic area were higher than references soil area. Conclusion: According to the results, it is necessary to take some action for controlling the pollutants emission from mobile sources in high traffic area in order to reduce the heavy metals emission in the environment.