ORIGINAL PAPER Identification and mapping of heavy metal pollution in soils of a sports ground in Galway City, Ireland, using a portable XRF analyser and GIS Ramona Carr Æ Chaosheng Zhang Æ Norman Moles Æ Marie Harder Received: 11 August 2006 / Accepted: 8 May 2007 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007 Abstract Heavy metals in urban soils continue to attract attention because of their potential long-term effects on human health. During a previous investi- gation of urban soils in Galway City, Ireland, a pollution hotspot of Pb, Cu, Zn and As was identified in the sports ground of South Park in the Claddagh. The sports ground was formerly a rubbish dumping site for both municipal and industrial wastes. In the present study, a portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) analyser was used to obtain rapid in-situ elemental analyses of the topsoil (depth: about 5–10 cm) at 200 locations on a 20 · 20-m grid in South Park. Extremely high values of the pollutants were found, with maximum values of Pb, Zn, Cu and As of 10,297, 24,716, 2224 and 744 mg/kg soil, respec- tively. High values occur particularly where the topsoil cover is thin, whereas lower values were found in areas where imported topsoil covers the polluted substrate. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques were applied to the dataset to create elemental spatial distribution maps, three-dimen- sional images and interpretive hazard maps of the pollutants in the study area. Immediate action to remediate the contaminated topsoil is recommended to safeguard the health of children who play at the sports ground. Keywords Urban soil Á Sports ground Á Heavy metal Á Portable XRF Á GIS Á Hazard assessment Introduction Research into the distribution of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in urban soils has increased in recent years (Lee et al. 2006; Yang et al. 2006), and their likely effects on the human population is gaining more attention in the media. PTEs such as lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) are known for their toxicity and persistence in soils (Sharma et al. 2007). Studies of human exposure to heavy metals (Nriagu 1988; Waisberg et al. 2003) reveal that they accumulate in the fatty tissue of the body and may affect the central nervous system and the internal organs. Of particular concern is Pb pollution of topsoil in parks and playground areas, as children are extremely vulnerable to Pb, which attacks the central nervous system and is a cause of decreased IQ levels (Mielke 1999; Fuge et al. 2005). Historically, this problem has tended to affect city areas subjected to the R. Carr Á C. Zhang (&) Department of Geography, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland e-mail: Chaosheng.Zhang@nuigalway.ie N. Moles School of the Environment, University of Brighton, Cockcroft Building, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4GJ, UK M. Harder Waste and Energy Research Group, University of Brighton, Cockcroft Building, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4GJ, UK 123 Environ Geochem Health DOI 10.1007/s10653-007-9106-0