Geochemical assessment and spatial analysis of heavy metals pollution around coal-fired power station

Coal-fired power stations are significant sources of soil contamination with heavy metals and a source of hazard to human health. The soil samples ( n = 25) selected in the area around Novocherkassk Power Station (Rostov Region, Russia) within a radius of up to 20 km revealed the enrichment with Pb, Cu and Zn. The heavy metals (HM) content in soil is reduced in the following sequence: Mn > Cr > Zn > Ni > Cu > Pb > Co. The correlation diagrams of the HM total content in soils revealed a significant association between the following HM pairs: Cu–Pb, Ni–Cu, Cd–Ni, Cd–Cu ( r ≥ 0.7, p