Use of microwave digestion for estimation of heavy metal content of soils in a geochemical survey.
A procedure for the rapid and safe analysis of soils with widely differing organic matter contents has been investigated and validated. Surface soils, totalling 295 and sampled on a grid basis, representing 22% of the land-base of the Republic of Ireland, have been analysed for cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc. Soil concentrations of cadmium, chromium, lead and nickel exhibit patterns of regionalised elevation. Implications of this elevation are considered in relation to sewage sludge application to land, future requirement for baseline surveys and concerns over concentrations in food products.
McGrath
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Teagasc, Johnstown Castle Research Centre, Wexford, Ireland.