Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are an important type
of pollutant,
causing constant and far-reaching concerns around the world due to
their increase in the mining process. Bentonite formed by the alteration
of glass-rich volcanic rocks is a smectite clay consisting mostly
of montmorillonite. Bentonite is an important mineral used in a wide
range of applications in many fields such as oil and gas, agriculture,
food, pharmacological, cosmetic, and construction industries due to
its unique qualities. Given the widespread distribution of bentonite
in nature and its use in a wide variety of consumer products, it is
inevitable that the general population will be exposed to PTEs contained
in bentonites. In this study, concentrations of PTEs in 69 bentonite
samples collected from quarries located in different geographical
regions of Turkey were analyzed by an energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence
spectrometric method. The average concentrations of Ti, V, Cr, Mn,
Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Zr, and Pb in bentonite samples were found
to be 3510, 95, 129, 741, 30,569, 67, 168, 25, 62, 9, 173, and 28
mg/kg dry weight, respectively. Results of the enrichment factor relating
to Earth’s crust average indicated moderate enrichment with
Cr, Ni, and Pb and significant enrichment with Co and As.