Contributions To The Study Of Heavy Metals Concentration Variation In Sedimentable Dusts According To The Distance From The Pollution Source

Abstract

The environment in areas where geological and mining activities, such as the extraction of ores containing heavy metals, take place, is heavily polluted with dusts resulting from these activities, as well as with residual waters from the mines. Depending on the meteorological conditions, as well as on the conditions under which sedimentable dusts or dusts in suspension are emitted into the air, the distance from the main pollution source varies considerably. In order to estimate the pollution level and the danger presented by this phenomenon, some analyses are required with regard to determining the concentration of heavy pollutant metals in air, soil and plants samples, as well as in dusts from the air. For the precise determination of the major components, as well as the minor ones, and also the ones in traces, the analytical techniques used must have low detection limits and the lowest matrix effects possible ^[1,2]. The methods that respond to these requirements are from the category of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The research was done in an area where there are industrial units whose main field of activity is extraction of certain ores which contain Pb, Cu and Zn as major components, as well as Cr, Mn, Ni, Co, Ag, Au, Al, and Fe as minor components or in traces. It is obvious that the presence of these metals in the air, water and soil has a negative impact on human health, plants and animals. This paper is a study of these aspects in an area where pollution with heavy metals reaches alarming quotas.