A Regional Study on the Correlation between Air Pollution and Other Environmental Pollution

(1) Correlation between Air Pollutants and Soil Pollutants

Abstract

In order to evaluate the state of the environmental pollution in Chiba City, the distribution patterns of trace metal concentrations in the soil and in the air pollutants have been investigated. The elements of Zn, Pb, and Cd as a pollutant indicator were extracted from soil by conventional method and their concentrations were determined. On the other hand, the dust in the atmosphere was collected by the high volume air sampler and the concentrations of the above-mentioned metal components of the dust were determined with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer.
The following results were obtained:
1) Metal concentrations in the soil were widely changed at each sampling station and the average concentration of Zn, Pb, and Cd were 137 μg/dry-g, 59 μg/dry-g, and 0.26 μg/dry-g respectively.
2) Metal concentrations were high on the surface zero to 15 cm in depth and low at 60 cm in depth.
3) The concentrations of Zn and Pb in the soil were correlated with those of Zn and Pb in the air pollutants, while little correlation was found in the case of Cd. The coefficient of correlation between Zn in the soil and that in the air pollutant was 0.87, and that of Pb was 0.70.
4) These concentrations of metallic pollutants were compared with those of the typical gaseous pollutants such as NO_x and SO₂. Some metals were correlated with the above gaseous pollutants. The highest coeffi cient of correlation, 0.89 was obtained between Pb and NO_x.