Primary Soil Investigation near a Potentially Contaminated Site in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Considering the need to identify areas contaminated by anthropogenic activities to include them in remediation programs, the main objective of the present study was to investigate the heavy metals content in several soil samples from the proximity of a potentially contaminated site. The total metal concentrations for Cu, Mn, Fe, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Cd were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS-F) along with the general physico-chemical parameters (pH, redox potential, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, and salinity). The results showed that some of the soils classified for sensitive use had high contents of Cu, Cr, Pb, and Zn, exceeding the alert and even intervention threshold. With exception of Zn, the content of heavy metals in the soils with less sensitive usage was relatively low, being within the limits imposed by national legislation. Various fluctuations in the metal content were observed between the soils sampled from 5 cm depth and those from 30 cm depth. The overall results should present interest for the local authorities and be correlated with environmental concerns for the human population living in the area.