Assessment of trace metals concentrations of soils and plants of urban and suburban areas of Safi City, Morocco

This paper discusses the effect of typical contamination sources on soils and plants in selected urban and suburban areas in the Safi city, Morocco. Using common methods, the physicochemical characterization and trace metals (Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb and Zn) contents of soils and plants, collected from different urban areas, including cement factory (SF), uncontrolled landfill (UL), treatment and transformation unit of phosphate (TP), were determined and were compared to those sampled from a non-contaminated control area (CA). The findings show that the studied urban and suburban areas contained significant trace metals comparatively to the control. The trace metals concentration was in decreasing order: TP > UL > SF > CA. These findings highlight also the significant contribution of the atmospheric pollution on the contamination of soils and plants collected from TP, UL and surrounding areas with trace metals. The most contaminated plants species by trace metals are those sampled from TP area and they are Eucalyptus globulus, Nerium oleander, Ficus carica and Medicago sativa. Sinapis arvensis L. and Carpobrotus edulis plants come in the second level with remarkable contamination levels of trace metals respectively. Thus argued, industrial activities in urban areas constitute a potential source of contamination of soils and plants by trace metals that may pose real health risk for human population in the city. Additionally, while this study aims to develop a global process to assess the environmental contamination of plants and soils in the region of Safi city.