Natural Hazards Coming from Trace Elements Natural Enrichment: The Bevera Valley Basin (Northern Italy) Case History

Trace elements are natural constituents of soils and their concentration varies depending on parental materials. In order to investigate the inorganic pollution conditions of soil in Bevera Valley Basin, Northern Italy, two selected samples were taken from Rainer Quarry and Femar Quarry were analyzed. High levels of Arsenic (As) have been reported in groundwater. Exposure to As in the environment is hazardous to biota, this study aims to investigate mechanism involved in natural enrichment of As, considering interactions of underground waters with soils. The concentrations of trace elements were determined by using ICP-MS. Laboratory analysis shows a greater enrichment in copper for both quarries, maybe due to the geological nature of the soils. Then the potential pollution risks of trace elements in the soil were evaluated by method of geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and enrichment factor analysis (EF). Results show that the two sites are not contaminated, and the trace elements, with reference to Arsenic, are not linked to anthropic contributions.