Pond sediments as indicator of traffic related lead pollution in rural area: a case study from Sixian County, northern Anhui Province, China

摘要

Lead concentration of pond sediments near the road, as well as pond sediments far away from roads in a rural area in Sixian County, northern Anhui Province, China, have been analyzed, and the spatial distribution of lead and the index of geo-accumulation have been brought to light. The results indicate that the lead concentrations of pond sediments near the road range from 20 to 34 mg/kg with average= 26.7 mg/kg, whereas pond sediments far away from the road have lower lead concentrations from 20 to 21 mg/kg with average= 20.8 mg/kg. The lead concentration from high to low is Xinji, Gonggou, Dazhuang, Huangwei, Yangzhuang and area far away from the road. A similarity between spatial distributions of lead concentration, index of geo-accumulation (Igeo) and towns (including village and the roads between them) indicates that motor vehicles play important role in controlling the distribution of lead in rural areas.