The effect of soil grinding on total As and Pb concentrations determined by aqua regia method was examined. Among six field-collected, air-dried soil samples tested, soils A, B, C, and E were directly sieved through a $150-{\mu}m$ sieve without grinding and showed 2.18 to 3.03 times higher total As concentrations and 2.62 to 3.45 times higher total Pb concentrations than those of the soil samples prepared to allow all soil particles to pass through the $150-{\mu}m$ sieve by grinding. The reason can be ascribed to the fact that those soils contain fine particles (i.e., < $150{\mu}m$ in diameter) only 4.6 to 6.8% of the total soil weights. On the other hand, for D and F soils, fine particles smaller than $150{\mu}m$ accounted for 57 and 46%, respectively, so that the effect of grinding on As and Pb concentrations were relatively low (As: 1.15 and 1.23 times, Pb: 1.36 and 1.49 times, respectively). The result demonstrates that grinding prior to $150-{\mu}m$ sieving is necessary to ensure the homogeneity of soil samples and hence to obtain more accurate heavy metal concentrations in soils. This is especially true for soil samples with less fine soil particles and/or microaggregates (i.e., below $150{\mu}m$).

Keywords: Grinding;Sieving;Aggregate;Heavy metal;Aqua regia digestion;