Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination in Soil and Groundwater at Leather Industrial Area of Kasur, Pakistan

Abstract

Heavy metal contamination of soil and water caused by industrialization has become a major environmental issue in Pakistan. Therefore, it is important to determine the level of contamination of soil and water close to industrial areas. In the current study, we have assessed the heavy metal contamination of soil and groundwater at the leather industrial area of Kasur, Pakistan. Soil and groundwater samples were collected from the study area and analyzed for Cr, Fe, Ni, Cd, Pb, Zn, Co, and Mn by atomic absorption spectrophotometric method. The data revealed that soil and groundwater in the study area are highly contaminated with all tested heavy metals. In particular, chromium concentrations varied from 1970 to 2980mgkg-1 and 0.82 to 2.25mgL-1 in soil and groundwater, respectively. Correlation analysis has identified that the heavy metals in the groundwater and soil of the study area having a common source/origin, believed to be the leather industry of Kasur. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.