Metals in the Surface Sediments of Selected Water Reservoirs, Slovakia

Abstract

Ruzin and Velke Kozmalovce water reservoirs (Slovakia) receive potentially toxic elements through rivers draining catchment areas polluted with the former extensive mining of ore-bearing deposits. In this study, the concentrations and fractionation of metals (antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, vanadium and zinc) have been studied in the surface sediments of the two water reservoirs. Comparison of metal concentrations found in the sediments with the mean shale values revealed a significant anthropogenic enrichment mostly with antimony (22.7), copper (8.5), zinc (5.5), cadmium (4.7), mercury (4.7), arsenic (4.5) and lead (3.9), and antimony (9.8), cadmium (8.8), zinc (4.9), lead (3.3) and arsenic (3.1) in the Ruzin and Velke Kozmalovce reservoirs, respectively. The results of fractionation study showed that the major proportion of cadmium (44.9-52.6%), cobalt (35.7-58.3%) and zinc (27.8-48.7%) was found in labile fractions, i.e., water- and acid-soluble fractions, although copper and nickel exhibited also significant labile fractions. When the risk assessment code was applied to the fractionation study, cadmium and cobalt came under high and very high risk category for the environment, and therefore might cause adverse effect to aquatic life.

Copper in the Sediments in Selected Banská Štiavnica Water Reservoirs / Meď v Sedimentoch Vo Vybraných Bansko-Štiavnických Vodných Nádržiach

“…1a-d). The dynamics could be caused by significant anthropogenic activities, local hydrometeorological and changing thermodynamic conditions, as confirmed by Hiller et al (2010) Based on the calculated dependency ratio, we can evaluate the development as highly dynamic and very negative for the environment.…”

“…Positive dependence and clear significance for Cu : Pb and other elements are documented by Hiller et al (2010). The concentrations of the chemical elements and their mutual correlations were observed in water reservoirs in Veľké Kozmálovce and Ružín.…”

“…Risk concentrations of potentially toxic elements are the results of intensive mining activities, metallurgy, agricultural activities, anthropogenic and diverse urban activities. Subsequently, the sediments possess anomalous geochemical and chemical concentrations (Kishe et al, 2003;Liu et al, 2005;Duman, Aksoy and Demirezen, 2007;Liu et al, 2008;Mishra et al, 2008;Tang et al, 2008;Hiller et al, 2010;Wei et al, 2010).…”

Potentially toxic contamination of sediments, water and two animal species in Lake Kalimanci, FYR Macedonia: Relevance to human health

“…In recent decades many studies have dealt with metal toxicity (Phillips and Russo, 1978;Handy, 1994;Awadallah et al, 1985;Dallinger et al, 1987;Chan et al, 1999;Soylak et al, 1999;Rased, 2001;Hiller et al, 2010;Gurkan and Ulusoy, 2010;Alkan et al, 2012;Papadimitriou et al, 2012;Mitra et al, 2012;Mendil et al, 2005), but in area around Sasa mine there is a lack of such studies.…”

Metal partitioning in sediment pore water from the Ondo coastal region, Nigeria

“…Metals are a class of important anthropogenic inorganic pollutants and due to their various health-related problems and widespread environmental occurrences, they have garnered much attention around the world (Paulson et al 2006;Yalcin, Narin, and Soylak 2007;Lalah, Ochieng, and Wandiga 2008;Liu et al 2009;Hiller, Jurkovic, and Utriepka 2010;Uluturhan 2010). Certain trace elements, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn, are essential micronutrients required for the normal growth and function of organisms.…”