Tomáš SCHMIDT^1*, Tatiana HARCINÍKOVÁ¹, Alexandra BENOVÁ¹, Richard FECISKANIN¹, Radoslav CHUDݹ, Martin IRING¹, Miroslav KOŽUCH¹, Eva MIČIETOVÁ¹, Jerguš MORAVČÍK¹, Vladimír PELECH¹, Hana STANKOVÁ¹ & Juraj VALIŠ^1
1Department of Cartography, Geoinformatics and Remote Sensing, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Mlynská dolina, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15 Bratislava 4, Slovak Republic, email: schmidt@fns.uniba.sk, harcinikova@fns.uniba.sk, benova@fns.uniba.sk, feciskanin@fns.uniba.sk, chudy@fns.uniba.sk, iring@fns.uniba.sk, kozuch@fns.uniba.sk, eva.micietova@fns.uniba.sk, moravcik@fns.uniba.sk, pelechv@fns.uniba.sk, stankova@fns.uniba.sk, valis@fns.uniba.sk

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FROM THE CONTAMINATION OF GROUNDWATER WITH TOXIC ELEMENTS IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC AND BRATISLAVA REGION

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The presented research aims for identification of environmental risk resulting from the contamination of groundwater with toxic elements in Slovakia, and with special focus on the region of the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava. Analyses were carried out at the level of basic settlement units for the chemical elements arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium. Every investigated element in groundwater exceeds the legislatively given limit value in certain locations. The highest identified values of investigated elements are as follows: arsenic 4.9 mg/l, lead 0.27 mg/l, mercury 0.164 mg/l and cadmium 4.0 mg/l. We carried out analysis of spatial patterns of distribution of the individual elements and calculated the overall environmental risk of all elements combined expressed by an environmental risk index. Only slightly more than 1% of the area of the Slovak Republic lies within the zones of very high environmental risk index, with additional less than 2% within the zones of high environmental risk index. Although the area is relatively small, we cannot underestimate the possible risk to human health, especially when the high and very high risk zones are in populated areas.