Original Title:
Detection of post-fire soil contamination using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in wildfire affected areas in Greece
Languages of Item:
English
Creator:
Vollas, Aristofanis
Stathopoulos, Vassilis
Oikonomou, Paraskevi
Affiliation:
Materials Industrial Research and Technology Center S.A.- Environmental Lab, Schimatari, Chalkida, Greece
Laboratory of Chemistry and Materials Technology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Psachna Campus, Evia, Greece
Abstract:
Fires in urban and natural ecosystems cause catastrophic consequences on a global scale.
Concern is raised as it has been observed that the remaining materials after the fire, contain
metals, including heavy metals in high or toxic levels[1]. The aim of the present research is to
investigate the influence of urban fires on the concentration of mobile forms of such elements
of concern and heavy metals in surface and in different soil depths. Sampling of soils of
pyrogenic origin was carried out in 2022. At least 800 different ground sampling points were
selected according to operating standards in the territory of Mati and Kineta (Attica, Greece).
Both suffered from wildfires in July of 2018. The heavy metals content of the soil samples was identified after Aqua Regia extraction. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICPMS) was used as analytical method [2]. Due to its high sensitivity and low detection limit twelve metals were measured (i.e., Al, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Sn, Hg, Pb). Certified Reference
Materials (CRM) were used for the method development. The results were evaluated using
the Dutch List, a collection of values and regulations related with the contaminated soils[3].
Main subject category:
Environment
Keywords:
fire
metals
spectrometry
ecosystem
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references:
1. J. Abraham, K. Dowling, S. Florentine, The Unquantified Risk of Post-Fire Metal Concentration, in Soil: A Review, Water Air Soil Pollut (2017) pp. 228:175.
2. S. Melaku, R. Dams, L. Moens, Determination of trace elements in agricultural soil samples by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry: Microwave acid digestion versus aqua regia extraction, Analytica Chimica Acta 543 (2005) pp. 117–123.
3. Dutch Target and Intervention Values (2000) (the New Dutch List)
