Lead concentration in soil inside the area of former battery production factory, Berat, Albania

Abstract

Lead is a trace element in the earth's crust, but it is not essential element. Lead poisoning is an important environmental pollutant that can have life-long adverse health effects. Lead is widely used in industry for building construction, lead-acid batteries, bullets, shot, etc. The current study reports the determination of lead concentration in surface and profile soil samples, inside the territory of former Factory Production of Batteries, Uznove, Berat, Albania. We have collected a total of 10 soil samples. The representative soil samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry for their lead content. The concentration of lead in soil samples are compared with the Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) specified by the Directive 86/278/EEC. Also, from results obtained we have calculated Hazardous Quoted (HQ). HQ in representative surface soil samples was 3.78-18.88 times higher than normal value. Concentration of lead in profile of soils tends to decrease. The level of lead in the profile soil samples, in the depth of 80-90 cm has decreased about 2-50 times compared to the concentration of lead in surface soil samples.