| Although most elements exist on Earth, heavy metal concentrations in the environment have been increasing for several centuries due to human activities. In our research, we try to compare lead and other heavy metal contents of soil and plant in an urban area with heavy vehicular traffic and a rural area with much less vehicular traffic. Microwave-digestion method, AAS, IAP and XRF have been used in our experiments. We found lead contamination remains in the soil and plant even though lead has not been used in motor fuel for the last ten to fifteen years. And we have also observed that X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopy is the most suitable technique for analyzing the heavy metal concentrations in soil and plant samples. |
