Int. J. Environment and Pollution, Vol. 23, No. 4, 2005 409 Distribution of chromium, cadmium, nickel and lead in agricultural soils collected from Kazanli-Mersin, Turkey Nurcan Köleli ∗ and Bülent Halisdemir Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Engineering, Mersin University, 33343 Mersin, Turkey (e-mail: nkoleli@mersin.edu.tr) Abstract: This study reports total levels of chromium, cadmium, nickel and lead in the agricultural land adjacent a factory producing chromate compounds in Kazanli-Mersin. Surface soil samples were collected from fields around the factory as well as from fields farther away to measure contamination due to aerial transportation and deposition of dust produced in the industrial process. Heavy metals in soil were extracted using wet digestion, and concentrations were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The concentrations were compared with Turkish maximum allowable concentration values. The metal concentrations averaged 80, 0.14, 228 and 43 mg kg −1 for chromium, cadmium, nickel and lead, respectively. Soil samples contaminated with chromium were mainly found 500–2000 m from the factory and decreased with increasing distance from the factory. Elevated chromium and nickel concentrations were determined in the soils around the factory, especially to the northwest (prevailing wind) and west. Lead concentrations exceeded the limit in only roadside soils (4000 and 5000 m to the west), but tended to increase in the vicinity of industrial activity (especially in the west, the northwest and the north). The cadmium concentration did not exceed the limit and was within the normal range for soils. Keywords: chromium, cadmium, nickel, lead, soil contamination, Turkey. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Köleli, N. and Halisdemir, B. (2005) ‘Distribution of chromium, cadmium, nickel and lead in agricultural soils collected from Kazanli-Mersin, Turkey’, Int. J. Environment and Pollution, Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 409–416. Biographical notes Nurcan Köleli obtained a PhD at Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey, in 1998. Her research work at Mersin University covers soil pollution, cadmium– zinc interactions and plant nutrition. Bülent Halisdemir obtained an MSc at Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey, in 2002, and is working towards a PhD. His research covers solid and hazardous waste management. ∗ Author for correspondence. Copyright © 2005 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.