Soil Science
Soil Contamination: Measuring Heavy Metals in mg/kg and PPB
How soil scientists measure toxic metals like cadmium, mercury, and chromium in mg/kg (ppm) and ug/kg (ppb).
S
Sarah Jenkins, MS
Environmental Science Specialist
Soil Contamination and Heavy Metals
In soil and solid matrices:
1 mg/kg = 1 PPM
1 ug/kg = 1 PPBRegulatory soil screening levels (SSLs) establish risk-based guidelines for hazardous cleanup operations.