Environmental and Health Risk Assessment Due to Potentially Toxic Elements in Soil near Former Antimony Mine in Western Serbia
2023
Аутори:
Belanović Simić, SnežanaMiljković, Predrag
Baumgertel, Aleksandar
Lukić, Sara
Ljubičić, Janko
Čakmak, Dragan
Тип документа:
Чланак у часопису (Објављена верзија)
Метаподаци
Приказ свих података о документуАпстракт:
Background: Anthropogenic activities have clearly affected the environment, with irre-
versible and destructive consequences. Mining activities have a significant negative impact, primarily
on soil, and then on human health. The negative impact of the first mining activities is represented
even today in the soils of those localities. Research shows that, for different types of mines, the
concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are high, especially in antimony, multi-metal and
lead–zinc mines, which have adverse effects on the environment and then on human health and the
economy. A large flood in 2014 in Western Serbia resulted in the breaking of the dam of the processed
antimony ore dump of the former antimony mine, causing toxic tailings to spill and pollute the
downstream area. Due to this accident, tailings material flooded the area downstream of the dump,
and severely affected the local agriculture and population. Methods: Potentially toxic elements
content, pollution indices and health indices were determined in soil samples from the flooded area,
using referenced methodologies. The sources and routes of pollutants and risks were determined
and quantified using statistical principal component analysis, positive matrix factorisation, and
a Monte Carlo simulation. Results: The main source of As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Sb and Zn in the upper part
of the study area was the tailing material. Based on the pollution indices, about 72% of the studied
samples show a high risk of contamination and are mainly distributed immediately downstream of
the tailings dump that was spilled due to heavy rainfall. Conclusions: Although the content of the
PTEs is high, there is no non-carcinogenic risk for any PTEs except As, for which a threshold risk was
determined. There is no carcinogenic risk in the study area.
Кључне речи:
health index; non-carcinogenic risk; flooded area; pollution indices; tailing outflow; Monte Carlo simulation; positive matrix factorisationИзвор:
Land, 2023, 12, 2, 421-Финансирање / пројекти:
- Министарство науке, технолошког развоја и иновација Републике Србије, институционално финансирање - 200007 (Универзитет у Београду, Институт за биолошка истраживања 'Синиша Станковић') (RS-MESTD-inst-2020-200007)
- Министарство науке, технолошког развоја и иновација Републике Србије, институционално финансирање - 200169 (Универзитет у Београду, Шумарски факултет) (RS-MESTD-inst-2020-200169)
DOI: 10.3390/land12020421
ISSN: 2073-445X