Anthropogenic activities negatively affect the ecosystems by introducing high amounts of metals in the environment. The study
assessed the contamination and ecological risk caused by As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn in urban soils situated near a metallurgical
complex, based on geochemical load (Igeo), contamination factor (Cfi), degree of contamination (Cd), potential ecological risk
factor (Eri) and potential ecological risk index (Ri). The results showed concentrations above the geochemical background in
more than 80 % of samples for As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn and 25% for Cr, respectively. The alert level for sensitive soil use was
exceeded in 80 % and 5% of samples for Pb and Cd, respectively, while in 15% of samples the Pb concentrations exceeded the
intervention level. The Cfi indicated considerable contamination with Pb, moderate contamination with Cd, Cu, Zn, As and low
contamination with Cr. The Igeo indicated moderate to strong pollution with Pb, moderate pollution with Cd, Cu, Zn, As and no
pollution with Cr in the majority of the soils. The Cd showed low and moderate degree of contamination of soils with the studied
metals. The Eri revealed moderate potential ecological risk for Cd and low potential risk for Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn and As, while the Ri
indicated a low risk for all studied soil samples.