Title
Evidence for a correlation between total lead concentrations in soils and the presence of geological faults
Date Issued
01 September 2017
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Moreira-Silva M.R.
Nunes J.O.R.
Godoy M.
Teixeira M.F.S.
São Paulo State University
Publisher(s)
Springer Verlag
Abstract
The emission of radon gas in regions of geological faults, during the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium, results in the formation of lead isotopes 210Pb, 208Pb, 207Pb and 206Pb. As a consequence, the lead contamination in the soil poses a hazard to humans through ingestion of food, contaminated water, and even by direct contact with the soil contaminant. So far the relationship between the occurrence of geological faults and soil Pb contamination has not been established. Here, we studied lead in soils of regions with geological faults and their possible relationship with radon emissions. Soils were sampled from Presidente Prudente located in the far west of São Paulo State, Brazil. The region has strong evidence of the existence and direction of geological faults at depths of approximately 200 m. Soil sampling was done according to the USEPA 3050 method. Total lead was quantified by anodic stripping voltammetry. Results show that the total Pb concentration increases systematically with soil depth. This finding is explained by the fact that the lead originates from radon emissions. Pearson correlation analysis further proves a relationship of the nuclear track density obtained with CR-39 detectors, and mean Pb levels within each soil profile. Overall, our findings should improve risk evaluation of Pb contamination derived from radon emission and geological faults.
Start page
481
End page
488
Volume
15
Issue
3
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ecología Geoquímica, Geofísica Geología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85014308351
Source
Environmental Chemistry Letters
ISSN of the container
16103653
Sponsor(s)
Authors acknowledge National Council of Scientific and Technology Development-CNPq (234256/2014-1 and 302728/2012-0) for the financial support. SJT∴
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus