The distribution of natural levels of trace elements in soils is rather variable. Therefore, the determination of background levels (BLs), based on averages or global intervals of concentration, are mostly unsuitable. This study proposed to establish BLs based on soils with similar properties, grouped by chemical and physical properties based on Pearson’s correlation analysis, factor analysis (FA), cluster analysis (CA), and discriminate analysis (DA). The Pearson correlation analysis and factor analysis showed that the variables soil Fe, Mn, Ti, silt […]

The Reference Quality Values (RQV) for heavy metals in soils are quite heterogeneous around the world. In Brazil, few studies establishing such values have been published. In the absence of VRQ of heavy metals in soils established for the specific conditions of the State of Espírito Santo, international generic values or values developed for other States are used. However, it should be noted that the use of these values can lead to erroneous assessments, due to the regional differences in […]