CADMIUM AND LEAD SOIL POLLUTION IN COPSA MICA AREA IN RELATION WITH THE FOOD CHAIN

Abstract

High levels of heavy metals concentrations in soil can direct to plant contamination; thus, soil contaminated by heavy metals may pose a threat to human health if these enter the food chain. Copsa Mica is one of the sites with the highest degree of heavy metal pollution in Romania, the whole area being well known for the ecological lack of balance due to the a non-ferrous smelter plant: Sometra. The aim of this study was to establish the soil contamination with lead and cadmium in the target area; as the local population produces, sells and consumes agricultural products, food chain analysis was performed in order to establish the levels of contamination with lead and cadmium. Samples were processed through microwave-assisted mineralization; analyses were performed using atomic absorption technique with a Shimadzu AA-6300 double-beam instrument. The obtained results showed that lead and cadmium contamination of soil in Copsa Mica area and its surroundings is significant; the high heavy metal content in plants grown in the vicinity of the industrial site, as well as in different products for food purposes represents a severe risk for public health. For soil samples, the maximum lead concentrations were recorded in samples originating from Micasasa and Agarbiciu, while those for cadmium were recorded for a sampling point from Copsa Mica, near the pollution source, being higher than the maximum allowed limits. For the other samples, the highest concentrations of lead were recorded for snails originating in Copsa Mica, followed by grass (Seica Mare, Copsa Mica) and potatoes (Micasasa). The maximum cadmium concentrations were found in snails (Copsa Mica) and grass (Seica Mare, Copsa Mica).