Pollution assessment and source apportionment of arsenic, lead and copper in selected soils of Khuzestan Province, southwestern Iran

Due to the intensified industrial activities and excessive application of agrochemicals and organic waste materials over the last few decades, there is a great concern about the accumulation of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soils from north of Khuzestan Province, southwestern Iran. Therefore, a comparative study with a total number of 300 composite soil samples (0–10 cm) from industrial, urban, agricultural, forest, and rangelands; and 26 samples from the major types of soils parent materials was conducted to examine sources, pollution status, and the effects of soil properties, land use types, and the local lithology on the total concentrations of As, Pb, and Cu (measured using atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) equipped with graphite furnace) in the soils studied. The mean values of Pb and Cu were 12.2 ± 4.6 and 13.5 ± 7.6 mg kg−1, respectively, slightly higher than the background values of the study area, but lower than the guideline values of Iranian Environmental Quality Standard for Soils. However, the mean values of As (1.72 ± 1.15 mg kg−1) were lower than both background values and the guideline values of Iranian Environmental Quality Standard for soils. The greatest values of the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), and the concentrations of Pb, Cu, and As were arranged as industrial > urban > agriculture > rangelands = forest land uses. The results also indicated that concentrations of all PTEs were greater in soils as compared to those in parent materials. Using principal component analysis (PCA), the origin of Cu and Pb with moderate to high enrichments was attributed to the inputs from both natural and anthropogenic sources. However, As was found to be mainly influenced by lithogenic origin.