This study was initiated to investigate the levels of heavy metals Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cd, Co, Ni, Mo, Cr and Pb in some contaminated or expected to be contaminated by industrial effluents and non-contaminated soils of Peshawar and Nowshera districts. 11Ie project also included the determination of physico-chemical properties of the selected soils and their correlation with the heavy metals concentrations. Thirty (30) soil samples from ten (10) different selected soils were collected from 0- 15, 15-30 and 30-45 em, respectively. Each sample was analyzed for physico-chemical characteristics, using standard analytical techniques and for extractable Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cd, Co, Ni, Mo, Cr and Pb, using ammonium bicarbonate-diethylene-triamine-pentaceticacid(AB-DTPA) as extracting solution.The textural classes varied from silty loam, sandy-loam to silty-clay-Ioam. All the soils under study were non-saline having EC values between 0.38 and 2.81 dsm·l. pH value ranged from 7.63 to 8.22 except Pirbala soil which had pH value of 9.11. All the soils were adequate in Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn for most agricultural crops. Higher levels of Ni and Cr near Ghee mills and Tanner Industry respectively may be harmful for human, aquatic life and agricultural crops. Higher levels of AB-DTPA extractable heavy metals were observed in contaminated than in non-contaminated soils. In majority of the soil samples, the concentration levels of metals decreased with increase in depth. No correlation was found between concentrations of heavy metals and soil physico-chemical properties, which might be due to the soils collected from different places with different thermodynamic properties.
RIAZ AHMAD KHATTAK ,MOHAMMAD JAMAL KHAN ,NADIR KHAN ,IMDADULLAH MOHAMMADZAI ,