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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Discrimination of Lithogenic and Anthropogenic Metals in Calcareous Agricultural Soils: A Case Study of the Lower Vinalopó Region (SE Spain)

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Analysis of heavy metal concentrations in soils and their sources is required to identify agricultural areas affected by contamination on a regional level, according to the European Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection. Pseudo-total and EDTA-extractable concentrations of nine elements (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) in eighteen agricultural soils with vegetable crops in the Lower Vinalopo region (southeast Spain) were determined. The main aim was to assess the present state of the agricultural soils in relation to contamination processes by heavy metals for a representative area of the Mediterranean region under semiarid conditions. The pseudo-total concentrations for heavy metals analyzed in the study area were higher than those reported in the literature for Cd, Pb and Zn, although differences were not statistically significant. Levels for each element in the EDTA-extractable form, as a percentage of pseudo-total concentration, arranged in the following order: Cd > Pb > Cu > Zn > Mn > Co > Ni >...