Potentially Toxic Trace Elements in the Urban Soils of Santiago de Compostela (Northwestern Spain)

With the objective of increasing information inorganic pollutants in urban soils Spain, we studied presence Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cr, and As 55 city Santiago de Compostela (northwestern Spain). The were developed over diverse parent materials (granites, gneiss, schists, amphibolites) present different land uses, grasslands, forests, allotment gardens, peri-urban agricultural soils. Total trace element concentrations, analyzed by XRF ground samples, correlated to physicochemical properties soils, influence use, lithology, location on degree pollution was explored. In most concentrations followed sequence Zn (55–484 mg kg−1) > Pb (20–566 Cr (17–277 Cu (17–188 (13–205 Ni (11–91 kg−1). overall higher than regional backgrounds, but not high enough class as contaminated according Spanish regulation. Accordingly, geoaccumulation index values indicate that low moderate levels. Among elements studied, between them, with their highest happening green areas center; related lithology material, amphibolite; finally, are two precise points without a clear connection known source pollution.