Pollution levels in the industrial area of Potenza (southern Italy)

A monitoring procedure based on soil magnetic susceptibility measurements seems to be an interesting method to evaluate in real time the presence and distribution of soil pollutants on large areas in a not-invasive and not-expensive way. In this paper, we present the results of an in situ field survey aimed to evaluate level and distribution of pollutants in an industrial area by means of magnetic susceptibility measurements used as proxy variable. We carried out the field survey in the industrial area of Potenza, characterized by the presence of industrial settlements, many commercial activities and a high traffic volume in all the area. Results show that soil magnetic susceptibility measurements are a good indicator of the anthropogenic impact, mainly from urban busses pollution and iron industry smelting. In relation to this type of contamination, magnetic susceptibility may be used as a useful tool for the first screening of polluted zones.