Investigation of Dioxin/Furans, PAHs and Heavy Metals in Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex Soil, Iran

Abstract

Surface soil samples were collected from Sarcheshmeh Copper Smelter Plant and analyzed for 16 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/furans (PCDD/Fs), and heavy metals to determine their concentrations, distributions, and probable sources of contamination. The mean concentrations of ΣPAHs, As, Pb, Zn, Se, Cd, and Cr in the soil samples were 878.8, 850, 2185, 2455, 21, and 24 mg/kg, respectively. Besides, their Toxic Equivalents (TEQs) were calculated. The samples generally displayed elevated concentrations of heavy metals when finding the toxic values of dioxin/furan compounds in comparison to the limit values for industrial uses. The background concentrations, molecular indices, and ring classes of the heavy metals indicated that their sources and those of PAHs were both geogenic and pyrolitic. The mean concentrations of total PAHs, PCDD/Fs, and heavy metals were compared with the reports from industrial areas throughout the world and the contamination rates at Sarcheshmeh Copper Plant were found to be moderate.