Soil pollution fingerprints of children playgrounds in Sarajevo city, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

This is the first study, 10 years after the war activities, to report about the content of heavy metals and metalloids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found in samples of soils from selected playgrounds in Sarajevo. Due to the fact that children are in direct contact with surface soils, it has been recommended that children's playgrounds should be given special consideration in this respect. Basic properties (pH in HO, pH in 1 mol dm KCl, humus, and CaCO) of the examined soils were determined. Samples for the determination of heavy metals and metalloids were prepared by microwave-assisted acid digestion and determined by using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer. Fluorine was determined potentiometrically. Gas chromatography with mass spectrometry was used for determination of PAHs and PCBs. Determined contents (mg kg) for Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Co, Mo, Fe, Se, As, B, and F were in the ranges from: 0.031 ± 0.03 to 0.52 ± 0.05; 26.1 ± 2.5 to 47.7 ± 4.5; 0.07 ± 0.01 to 0.50 ± 0.08; 26.2 to 50; 19.5 ± 1.6 to 33.3 ± 2.7; 12.8 ± 1.8 to 31.9 ± 4.5; 56.0 ± 4.0 to 89.0 ± 6.5; 6.7 ± 0.6 to10.6 ± 1.0; <0.8; 3.05 to 7.35; 1.98 to 2.60; 6.5 ± 0.8 to 17.2 ± 2.0; 0.4 to 3.6, and 286 to 575, respectively. The total PAHs ranged between 0.184 ± 0.32 mg kg and 7.983 ± 1.389 mg kg. The total PCBs was <0.002 mg kg. Our preliminary results may contribute to more accurate health risk assessments of the soils, and may be included in projects planning children's health risk assessments and adopting environmental legislation which has not been sufficiently regulated in Bosnia and Herzegovina so far.

Measuring Copper, Lead and Zinc Concentrations and Oral Bioaccessibility as Part of the Soils in Scottish Schools Project

“…However, the nature of the city studied-its age, size, population, traffic density and industrial activities (both current and historical)-can all have an influence on PTE levels and distribution. Particularly elevated PTE concentrations are often associated with known sources of pollution such as high road traffic density [2][3][4][5][6]; coal combustion [7]; chemically treated wooden playground equipment [6,8]; or specific Minerals 2019, 9, 173 2 of 13 industrial emissions. For example, the high concentrations of lead and zinc in playgrounds of Port Pirie, Australia [9] were attributed to the proximity of one of the world's largest lead-zinc smelters.…”

Spatial Distribution of Heavy Metals and the Environmental Quality of Soil in the Northern Plateau of Spain by Geostatistical Methods

“…The accumulation of toxic metals has an impact on natural ecosystems and can present a threat to humans through the food chain, owing to their bioaccumulation in food [1,2,3,4]. …”

Herbicide and pesticide occurrence in the soils of children’s playgrounds in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

“…1. The selected playground areas are representative samples of other playgrounds in Sarajevo city with respect to their age, manufacturers and the environmental settings (Sapcanin et al 2016). …”

“…Stones and foreign objects were hand-removed, and the samples were air-dried for 7 days. The samples were then ground in order to obtain a fine homogenous powder (Sapcanin et al 2016).…”

“…Researchers agree that preservatives contained in the timber can be absorbed through skin when children climb and touch the wood or can be ingested when children are in direct contact with contaminated dirt or sand during the play activity (Kwon et al 2004;Barraj et al 2007). The aim of this work was to identify and quantify herbicides and pesticides in the soils of children's playgrounds in Sarajevo city, and to complete the soil pollution fingerprints (Sapcanin et al 2016) for a further children's health risk assessment.…”