Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 135 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Minerals |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 26 Jan 2024 |
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.
Keywords
- ecological risk, mining, ore deposits, pollution, river sediments, toxic elements
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Geology
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In: Minerals, Vol. 14, No. 2, 135, 26.01.2024.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Contamination Assessment of Toxic Elements in River Sediments from Baia Mare, Romania
T2 - Extreme Pollution from Mining Activities
AU - Bereș, Ioan
AU - Maftei, Andreea Elena
AU - Dill, Harald G.
AU - Buzatu, Andrei
AU - Damian, Gheorghe
N1 - 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.
PY - 2024/1/26
Y1 - 2024/1/26
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - ecological risk
KW - mining
KW - ore deposits
KW - pollution
KW - river sediments
KW - toxic elements
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85185912375&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/min14020135
DO - 10.3390/min14020135
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85185912375
VL - 14
JO - Minerals
JF - Minerals
SN - 2075-163X
IS - 2
M1 - 135
ER -