Arsenic fractions and enzyme activities in arsenic-contaminated soils by groundwater irrigation in West Bengal

A study for the effect of arsenic (As) contamination on β-glucosidase, urease, acid-/alkaline-phosphatase, and arylsulphatase activities was conducted in As contaminated soils of West Bengal, India. The studied soils show low total As contents relative to those in other As-contaminated sites. A sequential extraction technique was used to quantify water soluble, exchangeable, carbonate bound, Fe/Mn oxide bound, organic bound, and residual As fractions. Arsenic concentrations in the two most labile fractions (i.e., water soluble and exchangeable fractions) were generally low. The studied enzymes were significantly and negatively correlated with water soluble and exchangeable As forms but did not show any significant correlations with other forms, indicating that water soluble and exchangeable forms exert a strong inhibitory effect on the soil enzyme activities. It is thus suggested that the enzyme activity can be helpful in assessing the effects of As on biochemical quality of soils.