Comparison between background concentrations of arsenic in urban and non-urban areas of Florida

Arsenic contamination is of great environmental concern due to its toxic effects as a carcinogen. Knowledge of arsenic background concentrations is important for land application of wastes and for making remediation decisions. The soil clean-up target level for arsenic in Florida (0.8 and 3.7 mg kg for residential and commercial areas, y1 respectively) lies within the range of both background and analytical quantification limits. The objective of this study was to compare arsenic distribution in urban and non-urban areas of Florida. Approximately 440 urban and 448 nonurban Florida soil samples were compared. For urban areas, soil samples were collected from three land-use classes (residential, commercial and public land) in two cities, Gainesville and Miami. For the non-urban areas, samples were collected from relatively undisturbed non-inhabited areas. Arsenic concentrations varied greatly in Gainesville, ranging from 0.21 to approximately 660 mg kg with a geometric mean (GM) of 0.40 mg kg , which were lower y1 y1 than Miami samples (ranging from 0.32 to 112 mg kg ; GMs2.81 mg kg ). Arsenic background concentrations y1 y1 in urban soils were significantly greater and showed greater variation than those from relatively undisturbed nonurban soils (GMs0.27 mg kg ) in general. y1 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.