Assessment of risks to the environment and human health associated with potentially toxic elements in the surface water and sediments in the mining-affected area
摘要
The impact of mining activities in the Krajište area (southeastern Serbia) on the pollution status of rivers and lakes as well as the associated environmental and health risks were assessed. For river and stream water, at sites close to mining and ore processing operations, high concentrations of Pb (up to 2125 μg L−1), Cd (up to 22.9 μg L−1) and As (up to 137 μg L−1), along with high values of heavy metal pollution index (up to 3897) were observed. In the assessment of health risks, hazard index values above the threshold of 1 were obtained for Pb (up to 76), Cd (up to 12), and As (up to 23). Results of the sequential extraction showed that the most mobile elements in the sediments are Mn and Pb, followed by Cu, Zn and Cd, while the least mobile are Co, Ni, Cr, Al, Fe and As. The distribution of the content of these elements by fractions, comparison of total content with standards and with the results of similar studies worldwide show that mining has a negative impact on the quality of the investigated surface waters and sediments. The observed pollution poses a significant problem for the surface water environment and for the health of people living in the area. These results underscore the need for remediation measures and continuous monitoring in mining-impacted river basins.