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Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences

An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

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ARTICLE IN » Volume 10, 2015 - Number 1

TOXICITY OF HEAVY METALS TO SOIL BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES IN CONDITIONS OF ENVIRONMENTALLY POLLUTED AREA MIDDLE SPIŠ (SLOVAKIA)



Lenka ANGELOVIČOVÁ1*, Lenka BOBUĽSKÁ2 & Danica FAZEKAŠOVÁ3
1University of Prešov, Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences, Department of Ecology, 081 16 Prešov, Ul. 17. Novembra č. 1, Slovakia, lenka.angelovicova@gmail.com,
2University of Prešov, Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences, Department of Ecology, 081 16 Prešov, Ul. 17. Novembra č. 1, Slovakia, bobulska.lenka@gmail.com
3University of Prešov, Faculty of Management, Department of Environmental Management, 081 16 Prešov, Ul. 17. Novembra č. 1, Slovakia, danica.fazekasova@unipo.sk
*Corresponding author. Email: lenka.angelovicova@gmail.com

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Abstract

Long-term mining and subsequent processing activities predominantly focused on copper and mercury became the main source of soil pollution in the Middle Spiš area. The natural environment of former mining areas is significantly disrupted by toxic elements, which enter the soil and water ecosystem. Total content of toxic elements (Cu, As, Pb, Cd, Zn, Hg), biological (activity of urease (URE), acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and catalase (CAT) and chemical (soil reaction (pH), organic carbon (Cox), available content of nutrients (P, K, Mg) soil properties were determined. The research was carried out at the heaps and grasslands in the cadastres of three villages (Krompachy, Rudňany, Slovinky). Extremely high and about the limit value of Cu, As and Hg were determined at all sampling sites. Activity of soil enzymes observed in our study proved, their ability to reflect soil degradation caused by heavy metal pollution. Activity of URE, ACP, ALP decreased with increasing of heavy metal content in soils. Significantly acidic environment on the heaps of waste material was found, compared to the grasslands. Heaps showed lower values of organic carbon and nutrients, but no direct influence of soil pollution to the organic carbon, soil pH and nutrients was found.
Keywords:
  • heavy
  • metals
  • enzyme
  • activity
  • mining
  • area
  • soil
  • properties
  • Slovakia

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© 2015 by the author(s). Licensee CJEES, Carpathian Association of Environment and Earth Sciences. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

How to cite

Lenka ANGELOVIČOVÁ, Lenka BOBUĽSKÁ & Danica FAZEKAŠOVÁ (2015). TOXICITY OF HEAVY METALS TO SOIL BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES IN CONDITIONS OF ENVIRONMENTALLY POLLUTED AREA MIDDLE SPIŠ (SLOVAKIA)

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