title: Impact of highway traffic and the acoustic screen on the content and spatial distribution of heavy metals in soils.
abstract: Recent years have witnessed intensification of road traffic and, with it, the amount of substances emitted by vehicles. Such emissions need to be monitored for public health purposes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the highway traffic on the total content and bioavailability of Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd, Cr and Pb in nearby soils as well as influence of an acoustic screen on spatial distribution of the metals. The material included 40 soil samples collected from 15 research points located 5, 10, 25 and 50 m away from the road acoustic screen and from 4 points between the screen and the highway. Additionally, 5 research points were located next to the metal barrier. Selected physicochemical properties of soils were determined: soil texture, soil pH, TOC and CaCO3content. The total content of heavy metals in the soils was determined by AAS after digestion in aqua regia and bioavailable forms in 1 M diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid. The research found low impact of the highway traffic on the content of heavy metals in soils; however, due to a very short period of this potential impact (5 years), the moderately polluted category of geo-accumulation index of cadmium and high bioavailability of lead indicate the need of repeating the research within the next several years. Furthermore, the road acoustic screen significantly influenced spatial distribution of the metals in soils.
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, UTP University of Science and Technology, Bernardynska St.6, 85-029, Bydgoszcz, Poland. szymi@utp.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Szymon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Różański
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, UTP University of Science and Technology, Bernardynska St.6, 85-029, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jaworska
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, UTP University of Science and Technology, Bernardynska St.6, 85-029, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matuszczak
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, UTP University of Science and Technology, Bernardynska St.6, 85-029, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nowak
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Resources Science, Laboratory of Pedology and Soil Environmental Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Amber
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hardy
mesh_terms: D002104:Cadmium; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D002104:Cadmium
keywords: Geo-accumulation index; Heavy metals in soils; Highway traffic pollution