Content of heavy metals and arsenic in soils near Sharra landfill (Tirana, Albania)

Abstract

The paper presents the results of a comparative assessment of the degree of pollution of subtropical brown soils with a number of heavy metals (V, Mo, Co) and arsenic in the zone of influence of solid municipal waste landfill “Sharra”. The landfill is located about 7 km southwest of the center of Tirana. Until the early 1990s it was used mainly for the disposal of industrial waste, subsequently it became an uncontrolled open dump and is now the dumping area for all waste of the capital city of the Republic of Albania. Total metal and As contents were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry in samples from 14 sites at different distances from the landfill body. Concentrations of V - in 1.2-1.3 times, Mo - more than in 2.2-4.4 times, Co - in 1.2-1.5 times and As - more than in 3.4 times were exceeded background concentration. It was also revealed 1.7 times higher than the established normative value for As in soils. The obtained results confirm the hypothesis about the negative impact of the Sharra landfill on the adjacent territories.