Assessment of Heavy Metals Toxicity in Soil Samples Around Bhadravathi, Shimogga Dist, Karnataka, India

Abstract

Heavy metals are common pollutants in the soil environment, namely arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni). This type of contamination is biologically toxic, widely distributed, and persists long-term in soil environment. The rapid industrial growth has made water pollution, air pollution, and hazardous wastes pressing environmental problems in many areas of the developing world. Plants cannot usually access the total pool of a metal present in the growth substrate.  Instead, that fraction of the metal which plants can absorb is known as the available or bio available fraction.  Metals present in a soil can be divided into a number of fractions including; the soluble metal in the soil solution, metal-precipitates, metal sorbed to clays, and metals within the matrix of soil minerals.