The aim of this study was to investigate the heavy metal effect on enzymatic activity in acidic soil samples during spring, summer, and autumn. The four metal fractions, acid-soluble and exchangeable (F1), reducible (F2), oxidizable (F3), and residual (F4) using BCR method in soil samples, were evaluated. The highest percentage share of zinc and copper was determined in F4 (45.8, 54.9%, respectively) and cadmium in F3 (45.6%). The enzymatic activity in soil was differentiated in seasons. During spring, the significant relationship was noted between F1/zinc/dehydrogenase, during summer F2/cadmium/phosphatase as well as F4/cadmium/dehydrogenase and autumn F3/zinc/dehydrogenase. Fraction F1/zinc/copper influenced phosphatase activity, whereas F3/Zn increased dehydrogenase and F2/Cd protease activity. The results indicate that the heavy metals affected dehydrogenase activity the most.

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The basic physicochemical properties such as: dry mass, pH, pseudo-total content of cadmium, lead and copper, were determined in the fresh bottom ash samples from a municipal waste incineration plant. In order to study fractional composition of the investigated heavy metals, the BCR method was used (F1 -acid soluble and exchangeable fraction, F2 -reducible fraction, F3 -oxidizable fraction, F4 -residual fraction). The average percentage of cadmium in particular fractions was as follows: , and in the case of copper F4(66.3%) > F3(22.1%) > F2(7.4%) > F1(4.2%). Among the studied metals, in mobile pool (F1-F3) the highest amount of cadmium was noted (72.8%); for lead it was 63.5%, and for copper 33.7% of the pseudo-total content.

The aim of the study was the estimation of total content of lead and its fraction in arable soils and permanent grassland of Podlasie Province, eastern Poland. The research material included 104 soil samples from Podlasie Province, which were collected in years 2011–2013 from the topsoil (0–30 cm) after plant harvest. The following basic physicochemical properties of soil samples were determined: granulometric composition, organic carbon content and pH in 1 mol·dm−3KCl solution. Based on the granulometric composition soils were divided into three groups: very light and light, medium and organic soils. The total lead and its content in fractions was determined by means of GFAAS technique using Varian AA-100 apparatus. The fractions of lead were extracted by BCR method. In the case of very light and light soils the lowest percentage share of Pb on average was noted in exchangeable fraction (16.3% of total content) and the highest in fraction bound to Fe/Mn oxides (43.5%). Similarly in medium and organic soils the highest amount of Pb was stated in reducible fraction, 43.7 and 41.3% of total content, respectively, and the lowest in exchangeable fraction, 16.5 and 12.2%, respectively. It was found that content of total lead was typical for arable uncontaminated soils.