Heavy metals Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cr and Pb were determined in selected
soils of El-Gabal El-Asfar (GA): sewage irrigated lands, Mostorod
(MD): soils around steel, battery and plumbing factories and Abou-
Zabal (AZ):soils around fertilizer, sulfate of aluminum and potassium
(alum,p) and ceramic factories. All experimental sites are located within
Qalubiya Governorate. Soils were sandy loam in GA and AZ, clay loam
in MD. Averages of total contents of above-mentioned metals (mg kg-1)
were 5472, 163, 178, 6.5 160 and 151, respectively; 17500, 228, 647, 58,
260 and 293 ;and 6333, 219, 358, 27, 155 and 266 for GA, AZ and MD
soils, respectively. Variations were considerable within each site as well
as between the three sites. Highest contamination was in MD soils followed
by AZ then GA soils. Highest Fe, Zn, Cr and Cu within AZ soils
were around the fertilizer factory followed by those around the (alum,p)
factory then around the ceramic factory. For the highest Pb, it was found
in soils around the (alum,p) factory. There are evidences of pollution,
particularly in the MD and AZ sites where the soils around industrial
factories of steel, battery, fertilizers, smelters and ceramics exist.