Agricultural Engineering

Assessment and Indicators of Heavy Metals in Agricultural Topsoil in Regions of Isfahan Province

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Sh. jorkesh Varnoosfaderani 1
M.H. Salehi 2
R. Mohajer 3

1 Ph.D. Student, Department of Soil Science and Engineering, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Soil Science and Engineering, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Agriculture, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22055/agen.2026.52581.1818
Abstract
Introduction:One of the problems of soil pollution is heavy metals.Heavy metals cause significant and serious pollution in many large cities.They may cause permanent damage to the ecosystem and humans.Excessive accumulation of heavy metals in soil and plants poses risks to human health.Therefore, accurate knowledge of heavy metals such as their levels and sources of pollution is essential.The aim of this study is to investigate the pollution of soils in some agricultural lands of Isfahan province with heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, copper, nickel, zinc, arsenic and iron.





 Materials and Methods: For this purpose, a total of 90 samples of agricultural topsoil were collected from areas of Khomeini Shahr, Isfahan, Falavarjan, Lenjan and Ardestan counties, and all samples were placed in polyethylene bags and transported to the laboratory. First, the soil samples were air-dried, then passed through a 2 mm sieve. Then, they were extracted with 4 M nitric acid. The concentration of heavy metals were determined by ICP-MASS. Descriptive statistics parameters including mean, maximum, minimum, skewness and kurtosis of the studied heavy metal concentrations were determined by SPSS software. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to test normality and since the data were not normally distributed, Spearman correlation analysis was performed to determine the relationship between trace elements. A significance level of pZn>Ni>Pb>As>Cu>Cd. There was a significant positive correlation coefficient between all elements except iron, which may be due to the common source of these elements. The average of lead, zinc and cadmium in Isfahan city with the other three cities was significantly higher than in other study areas, which could be due to the presence of the Bama lead and zinc mine and the cement factory, as well as more vehicle traffic. Also, Ardestan city showed higher arsenic pollution than other cities, which is likely to have a geological origin in this area. The enrichment factor values ​​showed that the soils of the region have significant to high enrichment for cadmium, lead and zinc elements. According to the geoaccumulation results, it was determined that cadmium and arsenic elements have moderate to severe pollution in the entire region. Also, in Isfahan city, the geoaccumulation index results showed that lead and zinc elements have moderate to severe pollution. The ecological risk index was higher for cadmium in the entire region and cities, which indicates that this element is affected by human activities.





 Conclusion: The entry of heavy metals into the human body through consumption of plants, livestock, inhalation and skin contact has harmful toxic effects, and these effects are intensified as these elements accumulate in the human body over time. Therefore, it is suggested that the amount of these metals (especially arsenic) in dust, plants, livestock and humans be investigated.





 

Keywords

Heavy metals
Soil
Enrichment Factor
Land Accumulation
Ecological Risk Index
Subjects
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Agricultural Engineering
Volume 49, Issue 3
October
Summer 2026
Pages 295-279

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