Wyniki wyszukiwania - Biblioteka Nauki

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Lead and Zinc in Soils Around a Zinc-Works – Presence, Mobility and Environmental Risk

100%

Kicińska A.

Journal of Ecological Engineering

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2020

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tom Vol. 21, nr 4

185--198

EN

The aim of this paper was to analyse the impact of long-term operation of a zinc-works on the soil environment based on 20-year observations. The study material comprised the surface soil samples and soil profiles collected in close vicinity of the zinc-works in Miasteczko Śląskie (Southern Poland) and in the locations within certain distance from the plant. The total content of Pb and Zn in the surface soil samples collected in the vicinity of the zinc-works in 2018 ranged from 3,975 to 26,200 mg/kg for Pb and from 3,358 to 21,867 mg/kg for Zn. These values were considerably higher than those recorded 20 years earlier (i.e. 601–11,939 mg/kg and 1,009–13,924 mg/kg for Pb and Zn, respectively). The mineral composition was dominated by quartz, feldspars and carbonates (e.g. calcium carbonate). Additionally, iron hydroxides (lepidocrocite), lead sulphates (anglesite) and zinc silicates (hemimorphite) were found. The bioavailable quantities of Pb and Zn in the soil samples collected in 2018 amounted to 30% of the total content in the case of Pb and 34% of the total Zn content. Twenty years earlier, the mean values were 66% (Pb) and 44% (Zn), respectively. The acidity of the soil samples collected in the vicinity of the zincworks indicated their very good buffering capacity, as well as the capacity to release 58-60% of the total Pb and Zn contents to the environment, with a pH decrease of only 3 units. The Risk Assessment Code (RAC) calculated based on the Pb and Zn cations in the exchangeable positions and bound with carbonates indicates that even after 20 years, there is still a high environmental risk related to the presence of those metals in soils. This paper also demonstrates that presently the major factors contributing to the pollution of soil are deflation and suffosion of small particles from the old, unprotected mining and industrial waste dumps.

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Arsenic, Cadmium, and Thallium Content in the Plants Growing in Close Proximity to a Zinc Works – Long-Term Observations

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Kicińska A.

Journal of Ecological Engineering

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2019

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tom Vol. 20, nr 7

61--69

EN

The paper comprises an analysis of the As, Cd, and Tl content in two plant species (Agrostis capillaris and Betula pendula) commonly growing in the vicinity of the Miasteczko Śląskie Zinc Works, in the period of 1998–2018. In 2018, the As, Cd, and Tl content (in mg/kg) in the grasses was 1.10–1.68, 3.14–19.05, and 0.53–5.96, respectively, i.e. lower by 50–70%, compared to the year 1998. The As, Cd, and Tl content (in mg/kg) in birch leaves at the same time point was 0.74–1.54, 4.65–32.44, and 0.80–7.57, respectively, i.e. lower by 10–80%, compared to values found 20 years earlier. In all grass and birch leaf samples collected in 1998 and 2018, the content of the studied elements exceeded the so-called “natural levels”. The 1998 content of As, Cd, and Tl in the plants was due to the settling of dust containing industrial pollutants and reached 77–96%. After 20 years, the contribution of this source of pollution was considerably lower, reaching 63–79%. The performed analyses demonstrated the following mean contents of the analyzed elements in dust: 243 mg As/kg, 1113 mg Cd/kg, and 44 mg Tl/kg, which confirms the hypothesis on the major role of dust in the current soil and plant pollution. In all the habitats analyzed, a significant decrease of the transfer factor (TF) was found for As and Cd in 2018, compared to 1998. For Tl, a different observation was made. In three out of four analyzed habitats, TF decreased over the two decades studied, whereas in the remaining habitat, TF was higher in 2018 than in 1998 both for the grasses and for the birch leaves. Over the past 20 years, the most polluted area changed as well, from the land located closest to the zinc works, in the direction aligned with the most common winds, to the areas subject to the most intense settling of pollutants carried by the wind from unsecured heaps and industrial waste storage areas.

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A Model-Based Approach to Risk Evaluation and the Assessment of Protection Provided by Water Intake and Treatment Systems

63%

Wysowska E. , Kicińska A.

Journal of Ecological Engineering

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2022

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tom Vol. 23, nr 7

284--298

EN

This study presents an assessment of the protection provided by water intake and treatment systems against potential health risk to water consumers. To perform the assessment a case study was conducted involving modelling and risk assessment based on scenarios of decreasing water quality at the intakes (i.e. emergency situations). The study sites were two continuously operating water treatment plants in Southern Poland (CEE). The study material were the results of tests conducted in the years 2012–2019 on samples of water taken directly at the intakes and samples of treated water. The samples were used to determine the concentration of selected metals (Cd, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn), organic pollutants (benzo(a)pyrene, benzene, acrylamide, epichlorohydrin, vinyl chloride and 1,2-dichloroethane) and bacteriological pollutants (Coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecali and Clostridium perfringens). The non-carcinogenic (HI) and carcinogenic (CR) hazard indexes were estimated based on the quality of water at the intake using linear regression models. The risk values obtained were compared with permissible values specified in the US EPA methodology. It was demonstrated that the concentrations of the xenobiotics analysed in treated water would have to increase 11 times in the case of adults and 29 times in the case of children before the risk level related to drinking water exceeded permissible values. In the least favourable exposure scenario modelled, assuming the presence of organic xenobiotics in potable water, the total HI amounts to only 10% of the permissible value in adults and 1.5% in children. The total CR calculated for the 3-times lower water quality did not exceed permissible values, which proves that the water treatment systems are safe.

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Bacteriological health threats to water in home wells

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Wysowska E. , Kudlik K. , Kicińska A.

Archives of Environmental Protection

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2020

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tom Vol. 46, no. 2

21--34

EN

Bacterial infections that are due to consumption of poor quality water are still an important threat to human health and life. The aim of the article was to investigate the bacteriological threat of water from home wells. The results of water testing from individual wells constituted research material. On their basis, the health risk of fecal streptococci, coliforms and Escherichia coli was assessed and an attempt was made to assess the impact of pollution on the health of residents. The results of water testing in private wells showed unacceptable values for bacteriological pollution. A significant health risk was found for fecal streptococci, coliforms and Escherichia coli. The authors pointed out the need to take extensive actions aimed at raising environmental and health awareness of the inhabitants in terms of water quality used for living purposes, in particular for consumption.

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Metodyczne podejście do konieczności ustanawiania stref ochronnych ujęć wód podziemnych na przykładzie ujęcia w Starym Sączu

51%

Wysowska E. , Kicińska A. , Nikiel G.

Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wrocławiu

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2017

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nr 494

234-254

PL

Autorzy przedstawili metodyczne podejście do konieczności ustanowienia strefy ochronnej na przykładzie ujęcia wód podziemnych w Starym Sączu. Analiza obejmowała m.in. uwarunkowania hydrogeologiczne z wykorzystaniem metody elementów analitycznych (Analytic Element Method) oraz sozologiczne na obszarze zasobowym ujęcia. Ponadto wykonano ocenę podatności warstwy wodonośnej na zanieczyszczenie, z uwzględnieniem czasu przesączania pionowego oraz z wykorzystaniem metody DRASTIC. Na podstawie uzyskanych wyników zaproponowano zasięg strefy ochrony pośredniej ujęcia. Porównano możliwe ograniczenia w użytkowaniu terenu wynikające z ustanowienia strefy z obowiązującymi ograniczeniami, będącymi następstwem przepisów odrębnych oraz przyjętych planów działań. W pracy dokonano również oceny planowanego efektu ekologicznego działań ochronnych.

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The Problem of Health Risk Resulting from the Presence of Pharmaceuticals in Water Used for Drinking Purposes: A Review

51%

Wysowska E. , Wiewiórska I. , Kicińska A.

Journal of Ecological Engineering

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2024

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tom Vol. 25, nr 5

244--256

EN

The article addresses the problem of the presence of selected pharmaceuticals in waters by determining the state of scientific knowledge. The sources of drug residues in the aquatic environment were characterized and the most important information was collected on the toxicity measures of the most commonly used drugs, including NLPZ: (1) non-steroidal analgesics and antipyretics (diclofenac, ibuprofen, phenazone, acetaminophen, propyphenazone, indomethacin, ketoprofen, pentoxifylline, and phenacetin), (2) pharmaceuticals used to reduce blood lipid levels (bezafibrate, fenofibrate, gemfibrozil), (3) drugs used in cardiac conditions, in particular those used to lower blood pressure and treat arrhythmia (atenolol, sotalol, metoprolol), (4) antibiotics (trimethoprim, clarithromycin, amoxicillin, sulfamethoxazole, piperacillin, erythromycin, sulfadimidine, dehydrate-erythromycin, 4N-Acetylsulfamethoxazol), (5 )drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (naproxen, fenoprofen), and (6) anticonvulsants, drugs used in neuropathic disorders and tranquilisers (carbamazepine, diazepam, primidone, oxazepam, temazepam). The authors reviewed research papers dealing with the indicated issue, taking into account: (1) research on the presence of pharmaceuticals in water, (2) studies on the health and environmental risk of drinking water for the presence of drug residues and their mixtures, (3) research on the effectiveness of water treatment in terms of pharmaceuticals. Gaps in scientific knowledge have been demonstrated, which are a hint for the directions of future research work.

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Soil Bioavailability of Cadmium, Lead, and Zinc in the Areas of Zn-Pb Ore Mining and Processing (Bukowno, Olkusz)

51%

Kicińska A. , Smreczak B. , Jadczyszyn J.

Journal of Ecological Engineering

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2019

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tom Vol. 20, nr 1

84--92

EN

The study was performed to determine the bioavailable amounts of cadmium, lead, and zinc in the soils contaminated over the years of Zn-Pb ore mining and processing near Olkusz, Poland, and to identify the environmental risk (RAC) associated with the occurrence of the most mobile forms of these metals in the soil. The authors analyzed the topsoil samples for the basic physical and chemical parameters, as well as for total metal content (by aqua regia extraction), and for percentage of 1 M HCl- and 1 M NH4NO3 – extractable fractions. The results were compared with the content of these metals in a common grass species, Agrostis capillaris. In the study region, the Cd, Pb, and Zn contents were (respectively, in mg∙kg-1): 0.5–33.5, 2–529, and 4–7877. This means that in more than 24%, 30%, and 38% of samples, respectively, the metal content exceeded the limits defined by the Polish Environment Minister’s Regulation of September 9, 2002, with nearly 24% of soil samples contaminated by all three metals. On the basis of the Environment Minister’s Regulation of September 1, 2016, which is currently in force, and using the allowed limits for subgroup IV (industrial land), set at 15 mg∙kg-1 for Cd, 600 mg∙kg-1 for Pb, and 2000 mg∙kg-1 for Zn, the analysis also found the excessive metal content in a considerable percentage of the topsoil samples (33%, 13%, and 38%, respectively). The content of the studied elements in a common grass species, Agrostis capillaris, was significantly higher than the so-called natural content. A strict association was found between the total Cd, Pb, and Zn content, and the potentially available 1 M HCl – extractable fraction. The environmental risk presented by the content of mobile Cd, Pb, and Zn forms, assessed in all the studied soil samples using Risk Assessment Codes (RAC), demonstrates very high environmental risk associated with Cd, high environmental risk connected with Zn, and moderate environmental risk related to Pb.