Soil contamination by metals. A survey in industrial and rural areas of Southern Italy.

Samples of soil from agricultural and around the industrial district of the city of Bari in Apulia and from rural areas of that region were analyzed, by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, for levels of As, Bi, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Sn, and Zn. All elements, except Se, were present in all samples from the industrial district, whereas Hg was not detectable in the rural soils; Bi, Cd, and Sn were found only in 50-60% of them. The average levels of Hg, Cd, Cu, Mn, and Ni in soils close to the industrial area always appeared to be higher than the mean levels in rural soils and the common ranges known for world soils. The findings suggest the existence of a metal contamination of soils in the industrial area.