Distribution of chemical elements in soils and stream sediments in the area of abandoned Sb–As–Tl Allchar mine, Republic of Macedonia

Journal Article · Fri Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Environmental Research

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ENVRES.2014.03.045· OSTI ID:22447532

Bačeva, Katerina ^[1]; Stafilov, Trajče ^[1]; Šajn, Robert ^[2]; Tănăselia, Claudiu ^[3]; Makreski, Petre ^[1]

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1. Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, POB 162, 1000 Skopje (Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of)
2. Geological Survey of Slovenia, Ljubljana (Slovenia)
3. INCDO-INOE 2000 Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation (ICIA), Cluj-Napoca (Romania)

The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of some toxic elements in topsoil and subsoil, focusing on the identification of natural and anthropogenic element sources in the small region of rare As–Sb–Tl mineralization outcrop and abandoned mine Allchar known for the highest natural concentration of Tl in soil worldwide. The samples of soil and sediments after total digestion were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP–MS) and inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry (ICP–AES). Factor analysis (FA) was used to identify and characterize element associations. Six associations of elements were determined by the method of multivariate statistics: Rb–Ta–K–Nb–Ga–Sn–Ba–Bi–Li–Be–(La–Eu)–Hf–Zr–Zn–In–Pd–Ag–Pt–Mg; Tl–As–Sb–Hg; Te–S–Ag–Pt–Al–Sc–(Gd–Lu)–Y; Fe–Cu–V–Ge–Co–In; Pd–Zr–Hf–W–Be and Ni–Mn–Co–Cr–Mg. The purpose of the assessment was to determine the nature and extent of potential contamination as well as to broadly assess possible impacts to human health and the environment. The results from the analysis of the collected samples in the vicinity of the mine revealed that As and Tl elements have the highest median values. Higher median values for Sb are obviously as a result of the past mining activities and as a result of area surface phenomena in the past. - Highlights: • Soil and river sediments were analyzed from Sb–As–Tl Allchar locality. • An increased content of certain toxic elements for environment was determined. • Highest As and Tl contents are obtained in the close vicinity of Allchar mine. • River sediments portray 160 times higher content of Sb than EU values. • The results classify Allchar as probably the highest natural Tl-deposit worldwide.

• OSTI ID: 22447532
• Journal Information: Environmental Research, Vol. 133; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0013-9351
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ABUNDANCE
AUGER ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
CHARGES
CONCENTRATION RATIO
CONTAMINATION
DEPOSITS
DIGESTION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY
ENVIRONMENT
FOCUSING
HYDROFLUORIC ACID
LOCALITY
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
MINERALIZATION
MINES
MINING
MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS
POTENTIALS
PUBLIC HEALTH
SEDIMENTS
SOILS
STREAMS
SURFACES
THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
TOXICITY