Soil contamination assessment and potential sources of heavy metals of alpu plain Eskişehir Turkey

Soil is the basic component of the biosphere and is exposed to many contaminants, including heavy metals, which are mainly affected by natural and human activities. Heavy metals in the soil are included in the food chain and pose a risk to human health. Determination of concentration and potential sources of heavy metals and evaluation of environmental and ecological risks were aimed at this study. In this study, 79 soil samples were collected from Alpu plain, located in Middle Anatolian to determine concentrations of Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Cobalt (Co), Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni), Lead (Pb), and Zinc (Zn). As a result, Enrichment Factor (EF) and Geoaccumalation Index (Igeo), average values of Ni and Cd showed moderate enrichment and pollution. Similarly, Cd was found as the considerably potential ecological risk. Principal component and Pearson correlation analysis proved that while Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni, Co, and Mn are primarily from natural sources, Cd is mainly from anthropogenic activities.