Contamination Indices and Heavy Metal Concentrations in Urban Garden Soil of Busan Metropolis

Abstract

To identify the concentrations of heavy metals and to assess soil environmental quality 29 soil samples were collected from Urban area (UA) and Suburban area (SA) in Busan, Korea. An assessment was conducted using soil pollution index (SPI) and geoaccumulation (Igeo) in order to establish the concentration of heavy metal. Accumulation of heavy metals in urban vegetable soils are affected by multiple factors including soil properties and climatic conditions. The concentration of Cd, Cu, As, Hg, Pb, Cr6+, Zn, and Ni were found to be greater in soils more than the background. The geoaccumulation map revealed index of geoaccumulation (Igeo) beyond class 2 (medium pollution) for As and Ni in Suburban area (SA), whereas Hg is enriched in Urban area (UA).