TITLE:
The influence of old leather tannery district on chromium contamination of soils, water and plants
AUTHORS:
Agnieszka Wolińska, Zofia Stępniewska, Rafał Włosek
KEYWORDS:
Chromium; Soil Pollution; Tannery Wastes; Chromium Accumulation
JOURNAL NAME:
Natural Science,
Vol.5 No.2A,
February
27,
2013
ABSTRACT: The paper demonstrates the actual level of chromium contamination at the
site of the old tannery waste lagoon in Serniki community (SE
Poland). Despite the fact that since 1994 this area is not
exploited, the chromium presence is still detected in soil, water and plants. The current study is the 4th phase
(after 1989, 2001 and 2004) of checking and controlling the chromium
concentration in this territory. The chromium content was assessed after soil
and plant mineralization using FAAS method. Total chromium concentrations in
soil samples reached values of 2.25 - 18.25 mg·kg-1 dry mass. Levels of
chromium in water samples ranged between 0.008 and 0.017 mg·dm-3 for
Wieprz River and the trough, situated in the tannery centre, respectively. Absorption of
chromium by plants depended from the plant species. The highest Cr content in
the stalks of Oenothera biennis, whilst the lowest in Phragmites australis were detected. Finally, it was assumed that soil chromium content noted in
2009 was by 42% - 83% lower in relation to the data from 2004. Consequently,
nowadays the tannery waste lagoon site is not so threat to the health of local residents and to
the surrounding ecosystem.