Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements in Soils of the Berca–Arbănași Area (Romania): Spatial Distribution, Geochemical Indices, and Implications for Sustainable Land Management

The Berca–Arbănași region of Buzău County (Romania) is of exceptional geochemical interest due to diapiric structures, active mud volcanoes, and historical subsurface hydrocarbon deposits. This study presents the first comprehensive geochemical assessment of surface soils from the Berca–Arbănași Subcarpathian zone, based on the analysis of 27 soil samples collected along three north–south transects and the determination of 12 potentially toxic elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, Zn) using aqua regia digestion and ICP-MS. The local geochemical background was calculated using the iterative median ± 2MAD method. Twelve pollution and ecological risk indices were computed: the Pollution Index (PI), Contamination Factor (CF), Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo), Enrichment Factor (EF), Pollution Load Index (PLI), Modified Degree of Contamination (mCd), Nemerow Integrated Pollution Index (PINemerow), Ecological Risk Factor (Eri), Ecological Risk Index (RI), Mean Effect Range-Median Quotient (MERMQ), Degree of contamination (Cdeg), and the V/Ni petroleum origin indicator. Results show that 66.7% of samples are classified as polluted (PLI ≥ 1; mean = 1.102), with moderate enrichment in Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn, attributable to diffuse anthropogenic sources. The ecological risk index (RI) remains low across all samples (mean = 35.96; all < 150), indicating that, despite moderate pollution, ecological risk is currently low. The V/Ni ratio (0.391–0.884, mean = 0.608) is below 1.0 for all samples, indicating a lithogenic (not petroleum) origin of vanadium and nickel and confirming a negligible geochemical impact of mud volcanoes and hydrocarbon extraction activities in the area at the sampled locations. The study establishes baseline geochemical reference values for the Berca–Arbănași area and provides data for sustainable land management, environmental monitoring, and evidence-based policymaking. These results directly support the objectives of the EU Soil Strategy 2030 and align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on food security (SDG 2), good health and well-being (SDG 3), and life on land (SDG 15).