title: Accumulation and environmental risk assessment of heavy metals in soil and plants of four different ecosystems in a former polymetallic ores mining and smelting area (Slovakia).
abstract: Heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in soils and plants of four different ecosystems (forest, grassland, agro and urban ecosystem) at different distances from the source of the pollution were analyzed in order to assess and compare soil contamination in the various ecosystems and determine the potential accumulation of plants depending on the place they inhabit. Correlation relationships among heavy metals in soils differ depending on the ecosystem, and between soil and plant, the heavy metals showed significant correlation for Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. Contamination factor (Cf), degree of contamination (Cd) and pollution load index (PLI) were used in order to determine the level of environmental contamination of the study area. All studied ecosystems were rated as moderately contaminated (except agroecosystem, which was found as low contamination ecosystem) according to Cdand extremely polluted according to PLI. The highest pollution in both cases was found in urban ecosystem, and Cd, Cu and Fe were determined as the biggest pollutants.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Ecology , University of Prešov , Prešov , Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Lenka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Demková
authors.affiliation: b Department of Chemistry , Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra , Nitra , Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Július
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Árvay
authors.affiliation: a Department of Ecology , University of Prešov , Prešov , Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Lenka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bobuľská
authors.affiliation: b Department of Chemistry , Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra , Nitra , Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Ján
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tomáš
authors.affiliation: b Department of Chemistry , Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra , Nitra , Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Radovan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stanovič
authors.affiliation: c Department of Environmentalistics and Natural Resources , Mendel University in Brno , Brno , Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Tomáš
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lošák
authors.affiliation: b Department of Chemistry , Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra , Nitra , Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Luboš
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Harangozo
authors.affiliation: b Department of Chemistry , Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra , Nitra , Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Alena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vollmannová
authors.affiliation: b Department of Chemistry , Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra , Nitra , Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Judita
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bystrická
authors.affiliation: b Department of Chemistry , Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra , Nitra , Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Janette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Musilová
authors.affiliation: d Department of Machines and Production Biosystems , Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra , Nitra , Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Ján
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jobbágy
mesh_terms: D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008669:Metallurgy; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008906:Mining; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018154:Slovakia; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants
keywords: Environmental contamination; Slovakia; heavy metals; mining; risk assessment; smelting