Quantitative Assessment of Heavy Metals and bacterial Contamination in Soil: A Comprehensive Study on Estimation Methods and Environmental Impli

This study aimed to Quantitative Assessment of Heavy Metals and bacterial Contamination in Soil. Fifteen soil samples have been taken at a depth of the first 30 cm of soil for each of the land-use types using a stainless-steel spatula from each of the source area (Ramadi City). For the land-use activity of the residential lands, six samples whereas for land-use activity of industrial lands was for gathers nine samples. These selected soil samples were now ready to study by the XRF for its scientific analyze for the trace elements. The Enrichment Factor (EF) was used to assess the level of contamination in the soils. One gram of each soil sample got weighed and diluted in nine milliliters of distal water. Every subsequent decimal notation until the ninth dilution was re-diluted by a dilution factor of 1:10. At every dilution step, MacConkey agar was seeded. After incubation for three days at temperatures 37 ˊC, the bacterial colonies generated were sub-cultured on nutrient agar medium thereafter, and were diagnostically retrieved. Vitek was used for identification of bacteria. The current study indicates that pH measurement for the soil in the neighborhood ranges between 7.5 to 9.3, for residential soils, while industrial regions are in the mildly acidic to moderately alkaline range of 5.4–8.2. The high levels of pollution are reflected in the considerable enrichment factor values for trace metals including lead, nickel, and zinc. In contrast, elements like manganese showed low levels of contamination due to deficiency or little enrichment, whereas metals like copper, and chromium showed moderate levels of pollution in the research region\'s industrial area. The results of bacterial isolation indicated that among the soils of Iraq, the most common species isolated was Enterobacter spp., which accounted for 34% of the total. Second on the list was Pseudomonas aeruginosa with a 25% share, followed by Proteus spp. with 18%, Aeromonas spp. with around 13%, Burkholderia spp. with about 2.65%, and finally E. coli with 5%.\r\nIn conclusion, according to the enrichment factor, Pb was found to be much more abundant in soil samples from industrial areas, whereas Nickel was found to be significantly more abundant in residential areas due to the buildup of household waste and oil combustion. The research also found that the most common G -ve bacteria were Enterobacter spp. and Pseudomonas spp\r\n