ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METALS LEVELS IN URBAN DUSTS AND SOILS BY MICROWAVE-ASSISTED AQUA REGIA DIGESTION

摘要

The main aim of this work was to assess the contamination of urban dusts and soils with Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn, originated from petrol products, automobile transportation emissions and industrial activity. The study area is located near by the industrial zone of the city Bourgas, Bulgaria. For this purpose microwave-assisted aqua regia digestion procedure was validated, using certified reference materials and a comparison with standard ISO 11 466 procedure. Results show higher levels of heavy metals in the local dusts and soils than the background values and the reference earth's crust.