The research aimed to use chemical, geochemical, and ecotoxicity indices to assess the heavy metals content in soils with different degrees of exposure to human pressure. The research was conducted in southern Poland, in the Malopolska (Little Poland) province. All metal contents exceeded geochemical background levels. The highest values of the Igeo index were found for cadmium and were 10.05 (grasslands), 9.31 (forest), and 5.54 (arable lands), indicating extreme soil pollution (class 6) with this metal. Mean integrated pollution index (IPI) values, depending on the kind of use, amounted to 3.4 for arable lands, 4.9 for forests, and 6.6 for grasslands. These values are indicative of a high level of soil pollution in arable lands and an extremely high level of soil pollution in grasslands and forests. Depending on the type of soil use, Vibrio fischeri luminescence inhibition was from -33 to 59% (arable lands), from -48 to 78% (grasslands), and from 0 to 88% (forest). Significantly the highest toxicity was found in soils collected from forest grounds.

Polluted water poses significant health risks when it is part of the water sources used for irrigation, leading to the contamination of soil and plants by various pollutants. This work aims, firstly, to assess the degree of pollution of Wadi El Gourzi water (Batna, Algeria), and then to verify the consequences on their use for the irrigation of market garden plants for everyday consumption (lettuce, cilantro, parsley and spinach), both in the aerial part (stems and leaves) and in the soil where they are grown. This study focuses on trace metals (Cr, Pb, Zn and Cd). Soil pollution was assessed by calculating the soil pollution index ( PI), while the uptake of these elements by plants was monitored by the transfer factor ( TF). The analyses of the Wadi El Gourzi water with the flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS) show a maximum abnormal concentration of Cr (17.37 mg∙dm ^–3), Pb (0.71 mg∙dm ^–3) and Cd (0.45 mg∙dm ^–3). For the analysis of the soils irrigated by these waters, the results of the PI show that the soils used for the cultivation of parsley and lettuce are polluted by several metals ( PI > 1). The concentrations of trace metals elements (TMEs) in the sampled plants show a significant accumulation of Zn, Cd, Pb and Cr by the vegetables (coriander, parsley, spinach and lettuce). These concentrations are above the permitted standards.