Pollution Index Calculator

    v1.6.0

    Pollution Index Calculator — CF, PLI, Igeo, MPI

    Paste a table of trace-element concentrations with a geochemical baseline and get the supported standard sediment and soil pollution index at once — contamination factor, pollution load index, geoaccumulation index, metal pollution index and Håkanson ecological risk — each classified into its published contamination tier.

    Five index families

    CF, PLI, Igeo, MPI and Er/RI computed from one pasted table, per site and per element.

    Classification & charts

    Automatic contamination tiers with reference lines, group summaries and high-resolution PNG or PDF export.

    Data stays local

    Concentrations are processed in the browser only — nothing is uploaded or stored.

    The indices and their formulas

    Contamination Factor (CF)

    CF = C(sample) / C(background)

    Element-wise enrichment against a local geochemical baseline. CF < 1 low, 1–3 moderate, 3–6 considerable, > 6 very high contamination.

    Pollution Load Index (PLI)

    PLI = (CF₁ × CF₂ × … × CFₙ)^(1/n)

    Geometric mean of all contamination factors for one site. PLI > 1 indicates progressive deterioration.

    Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo)

    Igeo = log₂(C / (1.5 × B))

    Log-scaled enrichment with a 1.5 factor absorbing natural lithogenic variation; classified in seven Müller tiers.

    Metal Pollution Index (MPI)

    MPI = (C₁ × C₂ × … × Cₙ)^(1/n)

    Geometric mean of raw concentrations — a single comparable number per sample, independent of any baseline.

    Ecological Risk (Er, RI)

    Er = Tr × CF, RI = Σ Er

    Håkanson potential ecological risk: contamination factors weighted by each element toxic-response factor and summed per site.

    How to calculate pollution indices

    1. 1

      Paste your dataset: rows are samples or sites, columns are elements — or upload a CSV/TSV file.

    2. 2

      Define the baseline: paste one or several background rows; multi-row baselines are averaged automatically.

    3. 3

      Keep every mapped element in the panel; incomplete indices are unavailable rather than silently reduced.

    4. 4

      Read the indices: CF and Igeo per element, PLI, MPI and RI per site, each with its contamination class.

    5. 5

      Compare groups and export: grouped summaries, charts with tier reference lines, CSV and PDF report.

    Reporting rules worth following

    State the baseline you used — local pre-industrial sediment, average shale or upper continental crust — because every index scales with it.

    Preserve measured zero and non-detects as distinct states. This pollution calculator does not automatically substitute censored cells; report any externally applied censoring rule.

    Report CF and Igeo per element as well as the aggregate PLI: a single high element can be hidden by a geometric mean.

    Ecological risk (Er, RI) depends on toxic-response factors; quote the source of the factors you applied.

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