Assessment of potentially toxic elements in agricultural and urban soils of lesser Poland using ICP-MS and uncertainty estimation

This study evaluates the status of soil contamination by potentially toxic elements (PTEs)-Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Mo, Cd, Sn, Ba, Pb in agricultural and urban areas in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in light of applicable regulations. The method validation was performed, and the uncertainty of the analytical process, including the sampling stage, was estimated. Soil samples collected by the doubling method were acid-mineralized and then analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Validation was performed with reference materials, and process uncertainty was determined by analysis of variance in the ROBAN programme. PCA analysis was also used to determine correlations between PTEs. The results for Zn, Sn, and Cu in agricultural soils, as well as Cu in urban soils, were below the limit of quantification. For Mo, Cd, and Pb in agricultural soil, and Zn and As in urban soil, the estimation was rejected due to inconclusive results. In agricultural and urban soil samples, the average Ba content was respectively 209.27% and 114.72% of the limit value standard, indicating high Ba levels. In urban soil, the Cd concentration reached 292% of the limit value. The method validation was successful, confirming the accuracy of the analysis. Exceeding the maximum limit value for Ba and Cd in soil samples can have a negative impact on the environment and pose a threat to soil and human health. More research is required to monitor the environmental risk and identify sources of hazardous metal emissions.