Source Determination and Contamination of Potentially Toxic Elements in the Petroleum Contaminated Soils, Bushehr Province, Iran

Concentrations of potentially toxic elements and PAHs have been studied in 126 soil samples in the Bushehr province. The results of contamination factor (CF) reveal that Cu، Mo and Zn have very high contamination factor. The results of enrichment factor (EF) show that As، Mo، Cd، Pb، Cu and Zn are enriched compared to the average abundances of background level and mean shale values. The principal component analysis (PCA) was used to assess the relationships among different of elements. The strong association of elements such as Cr، Ni، Al، V and Sc in soils suggests a common source، i. e. derivation from parent rock units. The significant correlation and moderate positive loading of Zn، Se، As، Mo and Cu with PAHs content indicate that the concentrations of these elements in soil samples are influenced by anthropogenic activities. High positive loading of CEC with Pb and Cd and moderate loading with Cr، Co، Ni and Co، indicate that CEC content play a significant role in the distribution of these elements in the soils.