The commonness of metal contamination, even at considerable distances from industrial centers and intensively used economic areas, has become the interest of many researchers. The issue of evaluating the state of the environment with the help of living organisms has become a very important part in the control of the natural environment. Honey bee (Apis mellifera L) is a good bioindicator as it is inextricably linked to the natural environment in which it lives. The aim of the research, and at the same time the main assumption of the study, was to evaluate the effectiveness of honeybees (Apis mellifera L) as bioindicators for the presence of Cu, Cr, Zn, Mn, Fe in the urban area (example of Bialystok city). The study includes pilot studies covering three sampling periods (March, June and September 2015). Analyses of metals were made by ASA method. The results showed the presence of Cu, Cr Zn, Mn and Fe in all bees samples. An increased content of Cr in bees was also found, which may be the result of the presence of this element in the environment (air, soil, water, plants, pollen) and in the impregnation agent applied to protect wooden elements of the bee hive. The research showed seasonal variation of metals in bees bodies. The main sources of studied metals in bee samples seem to be motorization, industry, and municipal economy within the urban area. Statistical calculations showed a common origin of majority of studied metals. Bee studies for metals contents can be an important element of a bio-monitoring of changing natural environment as a consequence of anthropogenic activity.

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The aim of the study was to assess the content of Ca, Mg, Na and K in the road dust collected in Białystok from various environments (roads with high traffic intensity, housing estate roads, roads located near parks and green areas), in order to determine the impact of the road transport on the spatial differentiation of the content of the tested components in street dust and identify their main sources. In total, the samples from 69 points were analyzed, which were taken in spring 2018 (late April and May) during the dry weather. The content of Ca, Mg, Na and K was determined by means of atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The average contents of the tested elements in the dust from all measuring points were in the following order: Ca (23.53%) > Mg (2.38) > Na (1.16) > K (0.25). This shows that Ca is the most numerous element in the tested dusts. Studies have not shown a significant impact of vehicle traffic, in particular the so-called non-exhaust sources related to this traffic on the content of main elements in the Białystok road dusts. The analyses have indicated that the main source of Ca and Mg in the Białystok road dust constitute the structural elements of roads, bridges and structures, in which building cement and its derivatives are the main component.

Civilization development has contributed to environmental pollution. In recent years, the number of vehicles has increased significantly; according to the Central Statistical Office, the number of passenger cars in Poland in 2000 was nearly 10 million, while in 2020 it was slightly more than 25 million. The study aimed to determine the content and spatial distribution of trace elements (Fe, Mn, Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, Zn and Cu) in the roadside topsoil along the trunk road Białystok–Budzisko on different types of land use (urban, rural, agricultural and forestal areas). Forty-five soil samples were collected from a 160 km road section, at intervals of approximately 4 km. Metal contents were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. The concentrations of metals in roadside soils occurred in the following order: Fe > Mn > Zn > Cr > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cd. The average contents of Cd, Zn, Cu, and Pb were higher than the geochemical background values of the Polish soils. Moreover, the values of the Igeo showed for Cd moderate to strong, while for Zn, Cu and Pb, moderate soil contamination. The study indicates that significant metal-binding factors in the studied roadside soils are Fe and Mn oxides. The crucial source of metals is road transport, depending on its intensity, which means amount, type, and speed of vehicles. Moreover, based on the analysis of the course of the factor values and their dynamics, it was observed that the areas where typical activities connected with the population take place (urban and agricultural areas) are additional sources of heavy metals. The results of this paper are relevant to the prevention and control of heavy metal pollution in roadside soils. The study can contribute to reducing the concentration of toxic elements in ecosystems due to vehicle emissions with appropriate land-use policies.

This study used flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) to determine the metallic content in 69 samples of street dust collected in various environments (viz., streets with heavy traffic, streets in residential neighborhoods, and streets near green areas and parks) of Białystok, Poland, during 2018. In descending order of average concentration, the measured metals were Fe (2,335 mg kg −1 ), Zn (68.99 mg kg −1 ), Mn (68.62 mg kg −1 ), Cu (16.37 mg kg −1 ), Pb (11.42 mg kg −1 ), Cr (9.12 mg kg −1 ), and Ni (5.20 mg kg −1 ). Only Zn and Cu exhibited concentrations exceeding the geochemical background levels for Polish soil. We mapped the metallic concentrations in the samples to evaluate the spatial distribution of these elements and identified proximity to main road junctions with high traffic as a major factor. Multivariate statistical analysis (Pearson correlation, cluster analysis, and analysis of major components) revealed an association between vehicle operation, and Zn, Ni, Cu, and Cr, as these elements were found in the most traffic-congested areas. By contrast, Fe and Mn, which were detected in potentially unpolluted areas, displayed concentrations that were similar to natural ones.

The article presents the results of studies upon metals (Pb, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Co) in bottom sediments and in various parts of the aquatic plants taken from the Bug river (Poland). The metal contents in the examined environmental elements were determined by AAS technique. The aim of this study was to evaluate the content of metals in bottom sediments and macrophytes (root, stem, leaf) occurring in the Bug river. It was hypothesized that the heavy metal content in plant tissues reflects the amount of metals in sediments. It has been shown that the average metal distribution in the examined plants present in the Bug river and bottom sediments was as follows: Pb, Zn, Co, and Cu sediments>root>leaf>stem, while in the case of Ni and Cr, the contents were greater in roots than in sediment (root>sediment>leaf>stem), although the differences in contents were not large. The study showed that most metals are present in roots and only a small part of them is transported to the stem and leaves. The size of the metal movement within plants may depend on their contents. It was found that for Ni, Cr and Cu in 2014, the bioaccumulation factor was above one, which confirms the high efficiency of metals uptake from the environment as evidenced by statistical analysis. Bioaccumulation factor (BF) was smaller than one for Pb, Co and Zn, confirming the high ability to retain metals in the root. Aquatic plants are an effective barrier for the surface water by accumulating heavy metals in their biomass. Macrophytes are proposed to monitor the river pollution.

INSTRODUCTIONWhen determining the impact of a sewage treatment plant on particular elements of an aqueous environment, it is often improperly assumed that the receiver waters are mixed with purified sewage at the point of discharge or not far from that site. The route of total mixing of pollutants with receiver waters may be several hundred times longer than the width of the riverbed. In fact, the total mixing of wastewater with receiver waters does not always occur at a short distance from the discharge. Determining the distance, at which full mixing should be considered in a given river cross-section in vertical and transverse dimensions [Rutherford, 1994, Miakoto, 2005. Determining the distribution of pollutants within the mixing zone is essential to understand the impact of purified wastewater on aquatic organisms, fish migration, and the health of people using the surface water. Due to this, it is also possible to simulate changes in the quality of river water and to obtain information on the possibility of discharging the purified sewage to surface waters. When forecasting changes in surface water quality, it is very important to learn the concentration distribution within the mixing zone because a large area of excessive concentration of harmful and hazardous components can be found within it. This would result in a reduction in water intake for utility purposes and disturbance of habitats responsible for biodiversity conservation [Adamski, 2000, Ostroumov, 2004, Miakoto, 2005.Mixing of wastewater with receiver waters is possible due to the advection and turbulent and molecular diffusion. The result of these processes is balancing the concentrations of wastewater constituents in the whole volume of water [Ru- Research Article ABSTRACT Discharges from wastewater treatment are among the key sources of pollution, if norms included in the applied legal acts are exceeded. In determining the impact of these objects on water environment it is often assumed that complete mixing wastewater with surface water is in the point or close to the discharge. In fact, the complete mixing of waste water in a short distance from the discharge occurs incidentally depending on the type of sewage receiver. The size and type of specific sewage receiver determines the conditions of self-purification. Complete mixing zone has a huge impact on the intensity of self-purification processes. Therefore, the possibility to determine the size zone of complete mixing of the waste water from the water receiver is important. The issue involves a series of methods, the most computational, which more or less allows to evaluate the distance of mixing waste water. advection, turbulent and molecular diffusion affect mixing wastewater with surface waters. The article discusses the factors influencing the mixing process and the impact of mixing on the self-purification surface waters. The aim of the article is a review of several methods for determining the distance of the segment mix completely discharged wastewater, with regard to the location o...