Distribution of heavy metals in anthropogenic soils: On the example of the industrial zone of Moscow

Abstract

The article presents the results of the assessment of the distribution of heavy metals content in anthropogenic transformed soils of the industrial zone of Moscow. Excesses of norms are shown, geochemical associations are obtained. The work proved to exceed the maximum permissible concentrations of cadmium, lead, copper, nickel, zinc, arsenic for eleven test sites per 13.95 hectares of industrial zone in 57% of the obtained empirical data on the content of pollutants in the soil. In the investigated area, the contents of lead, copper, nickel and zinc are not uniformly distributed and are within wide range. No excess of the norm was recorded for mercury. The isolation of two geochemical associations of manmade genesis is justified. One association includes cadmium lead, copper, and zinc with the system-forming element copper. The other consists of nickel and mercury.