title: Arsenic concentrations in soils impacted by dam failure of coal-ash pond in Zemianske Kostolany, Slovakia.
abstract: In this study, the concentrations of arsenic were determined in the soils around old coal-ash pond. The soils in the study area were severely contaminated with arsenic after dam failure of the coal-ash pond. The mean concentrations of arsenic in soils collected from three sampling depths of 0-20, 20-40 and >40 cm were 173, 155 and 426 μg/g, respectively, exceeding greatly the Dutch intervention threshold for this element. Arsenic concentrations were positively correlated with total iron and aluminium contents in the soils (r = 0.73, p < 0.001 and r = 0.72, p < 0.001, respectively), indicating that oxyhydroxides of iron and aluminium may control the distribution of arsenic in these soils. Ammonium nitrate extractant was used to mimic availability of arsenic for plant uptake from the soils. Between 0.05 and 6.21% of the total soil arsenic were extracted using a single extraction test and a significant positive correlation between soil leachate pH and arsenic extractability (r = 0.70, p < 0.01) was observed. This suggested that soil pH might play a role in the bioavailability of arsenic.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Geochemistry, Comenius University in Bratislava, Mlynska dolina, 842 15, Bratislava 4, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: L'ubomír
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jurkovič
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hiller
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Veselská
authors.forename: Katarína
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pet'ková
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum / Q000032:analysis; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis*; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D055884:Chemical Hazard Release; D003031:Coal / Q000032:analysis*; D060729:Coal Ash; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007501:Iron / Q000032:analysis; D008345:Manganese / Q000032:analysis; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis; D018154:Slovakia; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D003031:Coal; D060729:Coal Ash; D052638:Particulate Matter; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D008345:Manganese; D002244:Carbon; D000535:Aluminum; D007501:Iron; D001151:Arsenic