Geochemical Soil Atlas of Switzerland - Distribution of Toxic Elements

Authors

  • Jolanda E. Reusser Dept. Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, CH-8092 Zurich
  • Maja B. Siegenthaler Department of Water Resources and Drinking Water, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Eawag, CH-8600 Dübendorf
  • Lenny H.E. Winkel Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zurich, CH-8092 Zurich, Department of Water Resources and Drinking Water, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Eawag, CH-8600 Dübendorf
  • Daniel Wächter Swiss Competence Center for Soil, Bern University of Applied Sciences, CH-3052 Zollikofen
  • Ruben Kretzschmar Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zurich, CH-8092 Zurich
  • Reto G. Meuli Research Division Agroecology and Environment, Agroscope, CH-8046 Zurich

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2023.758

PMID:

38047843

Keywords:

Geochemistry, Soil chemistry, Soil contamination, Soil mapping, Trace elements

Abstract

Chemical elements such as copper and molybdenum are essential for animal and human health but may become toxic at elevated concentrations depending on the exposure and intake rate. Other elements such as mercury pose a threat to human health at already low concentrations. The soil acts as the main source of these elements for plant uptake and is thus driving accumulation along the food chain. However, in Switzerland, no nationwide information on elemental distributions in soils has existed up to now. The geochemical soil atlas of Switzerland will fill this gap by presenting the concentration ranges and the spatial distribution of 20 elements in the topsoil. In this summary, we present the methodological approaches and some main findings of the atlas with a focus on toxic elements as well as elements that can be or are toxic at higher concentrations.

Funding data

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Published

2023-11-29

Issue

Section

Scientific Articles

How to Cite

[1]
J. E. Reusser, M. B. Siegenthaler, L. H. Winkel, D. Wächter, R. Kretzschmar, R. G. Meuli, Chimia 2023, 77, 758, DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2023.758.