Contamination Assessment of Toxic Elements in River Sediments from Baia Mare, Romania

Extreme Pollution from Mining Activities

verfasst von: Ioan Bereș, Andreea Elena Maftei, Harald G. Dill, Andrei Buzatu, Gheorghe Damian
Abstract: Sediment samples from the Săsar River and its main tributaries were analyzed for their potentially toxic elements at the site of the Romplumb metallurgical company and near the well-known Pb-Zn-Cu epithermal deposit of Baia Sprie located in the Neogene volcanic chain of the Eastern Carpathians, Romania. The average metal concentrations arranged in order of decreasing abundance are as follows (mg·kg⁻¹): Mn (4098) > Zn (2093) > Pb (918) > Cu (489) > As (160) > Cr (37.51) > Ni (30.25) > Co (28.13) > Cd (9.72) > Hg (1.81). Several pollution indices were successfully used to assess the degree of contamination and ecological risk. The majority of sampling sites indicate high degrees of pollution, with two major hotspots identified. There are further sources, such as the Șuior (Pb-Zn-Au) and Săsar (Au-Ag) epithermal deposits, Cuprom company, and Bozânta tailing ponds, identified as contaminants. The Baia Mare mining district is causing a serious threat to the aquatic systems in the region, and it can be taken as a reference area for the human impact derived from the mining of mineral deposits of Au-Ag-Cu-Pb-Zn. It is imperative to reduce ecological risks and thereby protect the population living within this abandoned mining area.
Organisationseinheit(en): Institut für Mineralogie
Externe Organisation(en): Al. I. Cuza University
Victor Gorduza County Museum of Mineralogy
Typ: Artikel
Journal: Minerals
Band: 14
Anzahl der Seiten: 18
ISSN: 2075-163X
Publikationsdatum: 26.01.2024
Publikationsstatus: Veröffentlicht
Peer-reviewed: Ja
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete: Geotechnik und Ingenieurgeologie, Geologie
Elektronische Version(en): https://doi.org/10.3390/min14020135 (Zugang: Offen)

BibTeX

@article{c45b0ac62fe1466da3a2eb9bf941ebe8,
title = "Contamination Assessment of Toxic Elements in River Sediments from Baia Mare, Romania: Extreme Pollution from Mining Activities",
abstract = "Sediment samples from the S{\u a}sar River and its main tributaries were analyzed for their potentially toxic elements at the site of the Romplumb metallurgical company and near the well-known Pb-Zn-Cu epithermal deposit of Baia Sprie located in the Neogene volcanic chain of the Eastern Carpathians, Romania. The average metal concentrations arranged in order of decreasing abundance are as follows (mg·kg−1): Mn (4098) > Zn (2093) > Pb (918) > Cu (489) > As (160) > Cr (37.51) > Ni (30.25) > Co (28.13) > Cd (9.72) > Hg (1.81). Several pollution indices were successfully used to assess the degree of contamination and ecological risk. The majority of sampling sites indicate high degrees of pollution, with two major hotspots identified. There are further sources, such as the Șuior (Pb-Zn-Au) and S{\u a}sar (Au-Ag) epithermal deposits, Cuprom company, and Boz{\^a}nta tailing ponds, identified as contaminants. The Baia Mare mining district is causing a serious threat to the aquatic systems in the region, and it can be taken as a reference area for the human impact derived from the mining of mineral deposits of Au-Ag-Cu-Pb-Zn. It is imperative to reduce ecological risks and thereby protect the population living within this abandoned mining area.",
keywords = "ecological risk, mining, ore deposits, pollution, river sediments, toxic elements",
author = "Ioan Bereș and Maftei, {Andreea Elena} and Dill, {Harald G.} and Andrei Buzatu and Gheorghe Damian",
note = "Funding Information: This research received no external funding. The costs for the ICP-MS analyses were covered by the host institution, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania.",
year = "2024",
month = jan,
day = "26",
doi = "10.3390/min14020135",
language = "English",
volume = "14",
journal = "Minerals",
issn = "2075-163X",
publisher = "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute",
number = "2",
}