Soil contamination by trace metals and assessment of the risks associated: the dumping site of Safi city (Northwest Morocco)

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2023-08, Vol.195 (8), p.941-941, Article 941
• Main Authors: Benhamdoun, Abdellali, Achtak, Hafid, Vinti, Giovanni, Dahbi, Abdallah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Cadmium; Cadmium - analysis; Calcium; Calcium carbonate; Calcium carbonates; Carbonates; China; Chromium; Contamination; Copper; Correlation analysis; Dumping; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecological risk assessment; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental monitoring; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental risk; Environmental science; Interpolation; Iron; Landfills; Metal concentrations; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Morocco; Ocean dumping; Organic matter; Pollutant load; Pollution index; Pollution load; Principal components analysis; Risk Assessment; Soil; Soil analysis; Soil contamination; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil pollution; Trace elements; Trace Elements - analysis; Trace metals; Waste disposal sites; Zinc
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11467-4

The main objective of this work was to determine the soil contamination with trace metals within and around the dumpsite of Safi city (Morocco) and to evaluate the potential environmental risk associated. The results showed that the average soil concentrations of trace metals had the following order: Fe > Zn > Cu > Cr > Cd and exceeded the world and the upper continental background concentrations except for Fe. In addition, the concentrations of Zn, Cu, and Cd remained beyond the limit standards given by the WHO/FAO. Geoaccumulation index, enrichment factor, and pollution load index (PLI) indicated that the dumpsite soil is highly contaminated and deteriorated, presenting evidence of high ecological risk proved by the values of the potential ecological risk index (PERI). Correlation analyses revealed a strong relationship between the organic matter & [Fe, Zn, Cr, Cd], calcium carbonates & [Zn, Cr], and Cr & Cu inside the dumpsite soil. Principal component analysis confirmed the temporal and spatial classification of Zone A as the oldest and Zone C as the youngest and indicated that the regrouped trace metals could have the same behavior and or the same origin. The interpolation of trace metals concentrations and PERI revealed a plausible extension outside the landfill, confirmed by PLI values.