Shelling in the First World War Increased the Soil Heavy Metal Concentration

摘要

A geostatistical analysis of metal concentration data of 2,786 topsoil (0-0.5 m) samples in West-Flanders, Belgium (area approx. 3,100 km2) revealed a significant increase in the copper (Cu) content over an area of approx. 25 by 25 km around the city of Ypres. On average, the increase in the topsoil within of this area was 6 mg Cu/kg soil which represents several thousand of tons of Cu. Conventional sources of heavy metals, such as metallurgical industry or agricultural could be ex-cluded. The area of Cu enrichment corresponded to the war zone around Ypres of the First World War. Between 1914 and 1918, millions of Cu and lead (Pb) contain-ing shells were fired during several intense battles. Different correlations between several heavy metals were found inside the front zone compared to the rest of the province. Therefore it was concluded that World War I activities were most likely responsible for the overall increased concentrations of Cu, and other heavy metals like Pb, in the topsoil around Ypres. This study illustrates a generally overlooked source of environmental enrichment of heavy metals: historical warfare.