Heavy metal concentrations of selected public parks of Istanbul City

Abstract

Many cities, especially larger metropolises, parks are very important recreational areas where people usually have closer contact with flora. Therefore, the pollution level in the parks can have a greater effect on human health. Heavy metals are ubiquitous with the environment, as a result of both natural and anthropogenic activities, and humans are exposed to them through various pathways. Essentially, these areas are assumed to be less exposed to routine contaminants, but especially in metropolises, this assumption could prove false considering these areas are stuck within the confines of a city full of pollutant activity such as intense traffic. In this study; the relationships between heavy metal pollution levels (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) and the pH and electrical conductivity (EC) of soil samples were investigated from the parks on the Asian side of Istanbul. For this purpose, the most frequently visited 16 parks were selected as sampling sites. In the second part of the study, linear correlation is used for the data analysis.