Estimation of reference values for cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc in Brazilian soils

The objectives of this study were 1) to recommend reference values (RVs) and tolerance limits (TLs) for representative Brazilian soils and 2) to propose a model to calculate natural contents of cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in a soil from the silt, clay, manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) values. A set of 256 soil samples was classified by similarity in seven groups, and the concentrations corresponding to the upper quarter of data collected were then calculated. These concentrations are proposed as RVs for Brazilian soils. Additionally, TLs were obtained for each group from the antilog expression (m + 2s), where m = mean value and s = standard deviation of data transformed in log10. The classification functions of discriminant analysis proved to be suitable to allocate new samples in the established groups. Thus, it is possible to evaluate soils under anthropic activity and, by comparison with reference values, to be aware of pollution risks in a given area.