Assessment of Co-Contamination in Soil Samples from Agricultural Areas in and Around Lucknow City, Uttar Pradesh, India

An environmental evaluation of agricultural lands situated close to industrial areas in and around Lucknow city was carried out to determine the effect of co-contamination in the study area. Analysis of soil samples revealed the presence of mercury and cadmium at higher levels than their normal distribution in soil. Apart from heavy metals, the herbicide Butachlor was also detected in most of the soil samples studied. Co-contaminated soils pose a major threat to agricultural ecosystems since the presence of different concentrations of heavy metals may inhibit biodegradation of organic pollutants, which further affects metal bioavailabilty and phytoremediation.