The influence of old leather tannery district on chromium contamination of soils, water and plants

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 4 th 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. T he 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.