ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIALLY TOXIC METALS CONCENTRATION IN KARST AREAS OF THE MEHEDINŢI PLATEAU GEOPARK (ROMANIA) - Carpathian Journal of Earth And Environmental Sciences

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Andrei GIURGINCA^1a, Cristian-Mihai MUNTEANU^1b, Maria Luiza STANOMIR^2a, Gheorghe NICULESCU³ & Maria GIURGINCA^2b
¹“Emil Racoviţă” Institute of Speleology, 13 Septembrie Road, No. 13, Sector 5, Bucharest 050711, Romania; ^asankao2@yahoo.com; ^bcriscarst@yahoo.com;
²University Politehnica of Bucharest, Polizu Street, No. 1, Sector 1, Bucharest 011061, Romania; ^astanomir_luiza@yahoo.com; ^bm_giurginca@yahoo.com;
³National Institute for Researches in Conservation and Restoration, Victoriei Road, No. 12, Sector 1, Bucharest 030026, Romania; niculescu.geo@gmail.com

ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIALLY TOXIC METALS CONCENTRATION IN KARST AREAS OF THE MEHEDINŢI PLATEAU GEOPARK (ROMANIA)

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Abstract: The contamination with potentially toxic metals (PTM) represents an important threat to various ecosystem components, which are subjected to accumulation processes and along food chains it can also affect the human communities inhabiting the region. Our study was focused on a test area from the Mehedinţi Plateau Geopark (Ponoarele) and also on a reference area (the Lupşa Valley, Gorj County), from which we collected samples of soil, leaf-litter and fauna (pertaining to two groups of invertebrates - Oniscidea and Diplopoda). On all samples, we performed AAS and XRF analyses, in order to assess the concentration of PTM. We found 13 PTM, but a significant level for the Ponoarele area was recorded only for copper. We determined also the food-biota accumulation factor (FBAF). A main challenge for future studies is to make the distinction between natural background level and the presence of a certain element as a result of the anthropogenic impact.

Keyword: Karst ecosystems, leaf-litter, Oniscidea, Diplopoda, PTM, AAS, XRF, FBAF, Mehedinţi Plateau Geopark.