Edafología. Volumen 7-3. Septiembre 2000. pág 327-335.
ABSTRACT
In this work is presented an initial assessment of the total and bioavailable heavy metal content in the soils affected by the emissions produced by two domestic refuse incineration plants in the island of La Palma (Canary Islands).
In the natural soils, the total metals content is greater in the andisols than in the vertisols, as a consequence of a differential content and different weathering conditions from those of the basalts upon which they have developed. The percentage of total metals in bioavailable form is higher in the vertisols than in the andisols. In the contaminated soils, the content in metals continues to be greater in the andisols and, in all cases, significantly higher than the content in the non-affected soils, although a greater increase is observed with respect to the base values in the case of the vertisols, which is attributed to the different quality of the ashes.
Although the levels of heavy metals do not attain values much greater than the reference values most commonly cited in the literature, heavy metals, particularly Zn and Cd, are found to be accumulating in those soils most directly affected by the emissions.
KEY WORDS: Refuse, incineration, heavy metals, andosols, ashes.