Heavy metal contamination in soils poses serious threats to environmental and human health due to metal persistence and toxicity. In Senegal, particularly in the Niakhene region, soil pollution may result from agricultural practices, atmospheric deposition, and past land use. This study aims to determine the concentrations of heavy metals: Nickel (Ni), Arsenic (As), Zinc (Zn), Cesium (Cs), Palladium (Pd), and Tin (Sn) in agricultural soils and to assess their potential environmental and health risks. A total of 47 soil samples were collected at two depths (0–20 cm and 20–40 cm) and analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) spectroscopy, a non-destructive and accurate technique. The analysis revealed varying concentrations of heavy metals, with Zn ranging from 0.00 to 29.49 mg/kg, Ni from 20.02 to 47.30 mg/kg, and Arsenic (As) from 0.00 to 5.67 mg/kg. The study found that Cd, Cu, Pb, and Hg were not detectable in the samples. Comparative analysis with EU threshold limit values (TLVs) indicated that concentrations of most metals were within safe limits, although some samples approached the maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for Nickel and Arsenic. The findings highlight the need for ongoing monitoring and potential remediation to manage soil contamination and protect environmental and human health. These findings highlight the importance of continuous soil monitoring in the region and support the implementation of appropriate soil management and pollution mitigation strategies to safeguard both environmental quality and public health.
Published in | American Journal of Nano Research and Applications (Volume 13, Issue 2) |
DOI | 10.11648/j.nano.20251302.11 |
Page(s) | 28-34 |
Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Heavy Metal Pollution, X-ray Fluorescence, Soil Contamination, Environmental Health Risks, Threshold Limit Values
Heavy metals | Min (mg/kg) | Max (mg/kg) | Mean (mg/kg) | Std Dev | N | Std Err |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
As | 0.00 | 5.67 | 2.60 | 1.69 | 37.00 | 0.20 |
Zn | 0.00 | 29.49 | 12.54 | 5.96 | 37.00 | 0.70 |
Ni | 20.02 | 47.30 | 32.88 | 5.57 | 37.00 | 0.65 |
Cs | 0.00 | 47.66 | 1.29 | 7.84 | 37.00 | 0.92 |
Pd | 25.35 | 42.37 | 34.25 | 4.01 | 37.00 | 0.47 |
Sn | 94.60 | 121.73 | 109.53 | 5.45 | 37.00 | 0.64 |
Cd | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 37.00 | 0.00 |
Cu | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 37.00 | 0.00 |
Pb | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 37.00 | 0.00 |
Hg | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 37.00 | 0.00 |
Heavy Metals | As | Zn | Ni | Cd | Cs | Cu | Pb | Sn | Hg |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Threshold limit value (mg/kg) | 20 | 300 | 50 | 3 | - | 100 | 300 | - | 1 |
As | Arsenics |
Cu | Copper |
Pb | Lead |
Hg | Mercury |
TLVs | Threshold Limit Values |
Cd | Cadmium |
Ni | Nickel |
Zn | Zinc |
MCL | Maximum Contaminant Level |
XRF | X-ray Fluorescence |
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APA Style
Faye, P. M., Dione, D., Ndao, A. S. (2025). Characterization and Risk Evaluation of Heavy Metals in Niakhene Soils Using X-ray Fluorescence. American Journal of Nano Research and Applications, 13(2), 28-34. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.nano.20251302.11
ACS Style
Faye, P. M.; Dione, D.; Ndao, A. S. Characterization and Risk Evaluation of Heavy Metals in Niakhene Soils Using X-ray Fluorescence. Am. J. Nano Res. Appl. 2025, 13(2), 28-34. doi: 10.11648/j.nano.20251302.11
@article{10.11648/j.nano.20251302.11, author = {Papa Macoumba Faye and Djicknack Dione and Ababacar Sadikhe Ndao}, title = {Characterization and Risk Evaluation of Heavy Metals in Niakhene Soils Using X-ray Fluorescence }, journal = {American Journal of Nano Research and Applications}, volume = {13}, number = {2}, pages = {28-34}, doi = {10.11648/j.nano.20251302.11}, url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.nano.20251302.11}, eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.nano.20251302.11}, abstract = {Heavy metal contamination in soils poses serious threats to environmental and human health due to metal persistence and toxicity. In Senegal, particularly in the Niakhene region, soil pollution may result from agricultural practices, atmospheric deposition, and past land use. This study aims to determine the concentrations of heavy metals: Nickel (Ni), Arsenic (As), Zinc (Zn), Cesium (Cs), Palladium (Pd), and Tin (Sn) in agricultural soils and to assess their potential environmental and health risks. A total of 47 soil samples were collected at two depths (0–20 cm and 20–40 cm) and analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) spectroscopy, a non-destructive and accurate technique. The analysis revealed varying concentrations of heavy metals, with Zn ranging from 0.00 to 29.49 mg/kg, Ni from 20.02 to 47.30 mg/kg, and Arsenic (As) from 0.00 to 5.67 mg/kg. The study found that Cd, Cu, Pb, and Hg were not detectable in the samples. Comparative analysis with EU threshold limit values (TLVs) indicated that concentrations of most metals were within safe limits, although some samples approached the maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for Nickel and Arsenic. The findings highlight the need for ongoing monitoring and potential remediation to manage soil contamination and protect environmental and human health. These findings highlight the importance of continuous soil monitoring in the region and support the implementation of appropriate soil management and pollution mitigation strategies to safeguard both environmental quality and public health.}, year = {2025} }
TY - JOUR T1 - Characterization and Risk Evaluation of Heavy Metals in Niakhene Soils Using X-ray Fluorescence AU - Papa Macoumba Faye AU - Djicknack Dione AU - Ababacar Sadikhe Ndao Y1 - 2025/07/10 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.nano.20251302.11 DO - 10.11648/j.nano.20251302.11 T2 - American Journal of Nano Research and Applications JF - American Journal of Nano Research and Applications JO - American Journal of Nano Research and Applications SP - 28 EP - 34 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2575-3738 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.nano.20251302.11 AB - Heavy metal contamination in soils poses serious threats to environmental and human health due to metal persistence and toxicity. In Senegal, particularly in the Niakhene region, soil pollution may result from agricultural practices, atmospheric deposition, and past land use. This study aims to determine the concentrations of heavy metals: Nickel (Ni), Arsenic (As), Zinc (Zn), Cesium (Cs), Palladium (Pd), and Tin (Sn) in agricultural soils and to assess their potential environmental and health risks. A total of 47 soil samples were collected at two depths (0–20 cm and 20–40 cm) and analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) spectroscopy, a non-destructive and accurate technique. The analysis revealed varying concentrations of heavy metals, with Zn ranging from 0.00 to 29.49 mg/kg, Ni from 20.02 to 47.30 mg/kg, and Arsenic (As) from 0.00 to 5.67 mg/kg. The study found that Cd, Cu, Pb, and Hg were not detectable in the samples. Comparative analysis with EU threshold limit values (TLVs) indicated that concentrations of most metals were within safe limits, although some samples approached the maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for Nickel and Arsenic. The findings highlight the need for ongoing monitoring and potential remediation to manage soil contamination and protect environmental and human health. These findings highlight the importance of continuous soil monitoring in the region and support the implementation of appropriate soil management and pollution mitigation strategies to safeguard both environmental quality and public health. VL - 13 IS - 2 ER -