The heavy metal background maps of the Emilia-Romagna plain

Background Maps of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, Sn, V, Zn of the Emilia-Romagna plain at 1:250.000 scale, 2nd edition (2019)

Heavy metals According to the Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection (COM/2006/0231) soil is regarded as non-renewable resource. In an environmental perspective, the Italian Law (D.lgs 152/06) considers soils as environmental matrix, like air and water. Soil also has several different functions and represents an essential support to human activities and to ecosystem survival.

The Background Map of Emilia Romagna plain at 1:250,000 scale, now in its second edition, represents the areal distribution of the background content (according to ISO 19258, 2005 definition) of nine potentially toxic metals in agricultural soils: Arsenic [As], Cadmium [Cd], Chromium[Cr], Nickel [Ni], Zinc [Zn], Copper [Cu], Lead [Pb], Vanadium [V] and Tin [Sn].

It is a collaborative project between the National Centre of Research (CNR IBiMet, Florence) and the Geological, Seismic and Soil Survey of Emilia-Romagna.

The Background Content constitutes a first assessment of the qualitative state of soils in terms of diffuse contamination and then provides a picture of the impact of the agricultural and environmental management.