Thallium in soils and stream sediments of a Zn-Pb mining and smelting area.
Thallium was determined in 120 samples of soil and 30 samples of stream sediments from the southeastern part of the Silesian-Cracowian zinc-lead ore deposits. Soil samples were taken from topsoils (0.0-0.2 m) and bottom soils (0.8 and 1.0 m). Thallium was determined by flow-injection-differential-pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. The samples were decomposed sequentially with 73% hydrofluoric acid and a mixture of nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide. The results showed that zinc-lead ore mining as well as their processing and smelting leads to a significant increase of thallium in the top layer of soil and in stream sediments. The highest recorded concentration was 150 ppm Tl for stream sediment and 35 ppm for a soil sample. Thallium concentration in small rivers from the investigated area was by 2 orders of magnitude higher than in the reference area. The highest recorded concentration being 3.24 microg L(-1).
Polish Geological Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
Jozef
J
Lis
Anna
A
Pasieczna
Bozena
B
Karbowska
Wlodzimierz
W
Zembrzuski
Zenon
Z
Lukaszewski
D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D007854:Lead; D008669:Metallurgy; D008906:Mining; D045483:Rivers; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D013793:Thallium / Q000032:analysis*; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D015032:Zinc
D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014873:Water Pollutants; D007854:Lead; D013793:Thallium; D015032:Zinc