Fast Multi-element Analysis of Heavy Metals in Soil and Sediment Samples

Many dangerous heavy metals accumulate in the soil and sediments of our rivers, lakes and oceans if released into the environment either directly discharged by industrial plants and municipal sewage treatment plants or come from polluted agricultural areas or as a result of historical contamination.

Since all these heavy metals can go into the water, the earth and the air and thus into the food chain, a proper disposal, recycling and the regulation of the application of sewage to agricultural land gain great importance. Nonetheless, not all the  traces of heavy metals in soils, sediments and plants are actually the results of human activity. Some arise through absorption processes of naturally occurring soil components. Theoretically, every 1000kg of ‘normal’ soil contains for instance 80g nickel, 16g lead and 0.2g cadmium [1]. Therefore, it is not always easy to assign a definite cause for increased heavy metal content. Even foodstuffs produced in completely unpolluted areas are not entirely free of heavy metals. Hence, monitoring the soil and sediment especially in respect of heavy metals is of interest due to their influence on groundwater, on plants and also animals and human beings. However, the heavy metals only became a focus of public interest just after the analytical techniques had made it possible to detect them even in very small traces. The relatively uncontrolled handling of heavy metals and their compounds in the past can to a degree be explained by the fact that their effects were unknown. Today however analytical detection is possible down to very low levels. In this study a quick as well as a simple technique with great advantages will be discussed for the determination of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, and Zn in several soil and sediment samples collected around Thuringia Saale, Germany. The performance of the method was assessed with evaluation of standard reference material and sample spikes.