4. Conclusion
This study is the first comprehensive attempt to establish the
baseline concentration of a number of heavy metals of toxicological
importance in the urban soils of Karachi. It further aims to
assess the pollution status of the urban soil through various
geochemical and geo-statistical methods. From the EF estimates,
soils of some locations of Karachi were found moderately to
moderately high enriched with Pb. Cr and Cu has minor to
moderate and Zn has minor enrichment. Igeo results also indicated
that some of the sampling locations showed moderate soil
contamination by Pb. Large variations in PI values of Pb suggested
that the areas of the city characterized by high traffic loads have
exceptionally high concentrations of Pb in soil. Exposure to Pb
contaminated urban soil can cause deleterious health effects in
humans, especially in children. These results suggest the need to
develop proper management strategies to reduce the human
health risk associated with the heavy metal contaminated urban
soil.