Assessment of the trace element distribution in soils in the parks of the city of Zagreb (Croatia)

This paper presents the results of the preliminary testing of the selected trace elements in the soils of several parks in the city of Zagreb, Republic of Croatia. In each park, the samples were taken from several points—at various distances from the roads. The samples were taken at two different depths: 0–5 and 30–45 cm. Composite samples were done for each sampling point. Microwave-assisted wet digestion of the soil samples was performed and the determination by ICP-AES technique was done. Results obtained for Al, As, Ba, Mn, Ti, V, and K are in a good agreement with the results published in the scientific literature so far. The mass fraction values of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn are somewhat higher than the maximum values given in the Croatian Directive on agricultural land protection against pollution. Be, Mo, Sb, Se, and Tl in the samples were present in the concentrations that are lower than their method detection limit values.