Cadmium background concentrations to establish reference quality values for soils of So Paulo State, Brazil

Author(s)

de Oliveira, Vinicius Henrique ^[1] ; de Abreu, Cleide Aparecida ^[2] ; Coelho, Ricardo Marques ^[2] ; Azevedo Melo, Leonidas Carrijo ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] Agron Inst IAC, BR-13022902 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Agron Inst IAC, Ctr Soils & Environm Resources, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Vicosa, Dept Soils, BR-36570000 Vicosa, MG - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT; v. 186, n. 3, p. 1399-1408, MAR 2014.
• Web of Science Citations: 5

Abstract

Proper assessment of soil cadmium (Cd) concentrations is essential to establish legislative limits. The present study aimed to assess background Cd concentrations in soils from the state of So Paulo, Brazil, and to correlate such concentrations with several soil attributes. The topsoil samples (n = 191) were assessed for total Cd contents and for other metals using the USEPA 3051A method. The background concentration was determined according to the third quartile (75th). Principal component analysis, Spearman correlation, and multiple regressions between Cd contents and other soil attributes (pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), clay content, sum of bases, organic matter, and total Fe, Al, Zn, and Pb levels) were performed. The mean Cd concentration of all 191 samples was 0.4 mg kg(-1), and the background concentration was 0.5 mg kg(-1). After the samples were grouped by parent material (rock origin) and soil type, the background Cd content varied, i.e., soils from igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks harbored 1.5, 0.4, and 0.2 mg kg(-1) of Cd, respectively. The background Cd content in Oxisols (0.8 mg kg(-1)) was higher than in Ultisols (0.3 mg kg(-1)). Multiple regression demonstrated that Fe was primarily attributed to the natural Cd contents in the soils (R (2) = 0.79). Instead of a single Cd background concentration value representing all So Paulo soils, we propose that the concentrations should be specific for at least Oxisols and Ultisols, which are the primary soil types. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/05490-3 - Background and ecotoxiclogical risk of cadmium in soils
• Grantee: Cleide Aparecida de Abreu
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 11/14744-6 - BACKGROUND CONCENTRATION AND ECOTOXICOLOGICAL RISK OF CADMIUM IN SOILS
• Grantee: Vinícius Henrique de Oliveira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master