Use of selected amendments for reducing metal mobility and ecotoxicity in contaminated bottom sediments.

The aims of the study were 1) to assess the suitability of selected amendments for reducing the mobility of metals in sediments by evaluating their effects on metal sorption capacity, and 2) to assess the ecotoxicity of sediment/amendment mixtures. Three different amendments were tested: cellulose waste, biochar, and dolomite. The efficiency of metal immobilization in mixtures was dependent on pH, which increased with concentrations of amendment.

The concentration of particulate matter in the barn air and its influence on the content of heavy metals in milk.

Heavy metals are one of the components of smog, which is mainly the product of burning fossil fuels in residential buildings. These elements, introduced into the body of cattle by inhalation, may enter the milk. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of particulate pollution in the atmospheric air on the concentration of particulate matter in the air of a dairy cattle barn and on the content of selected heavy metals in milk from cows present in the building.

Mobility, bioaccumulation in plants, and risk assessment of metals in soils.

Heavy metal contamination of soils is one of the main factors contributing to soil quality decline and loss of biodiversity, which is also associated with plant contamination, as metals accumulate in the surface layer of soils and then enter the trophic chain. The aims of the study were to assess the mobility and bioavailability of metals in soils to plants, and to estimate the ecological and health risks associated with heavy metal content in soils. 320 topsoil and 206 plant samples were collected.

Evaluation of the concentration of selected elements in serum patients with intervertebral disc degeneration.

Quantitative analysis of the trace element content of human intervertebral discs (IVDs) is essential because it can identify specific enzymes or metabolites that may be related to human intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). The goal of this study was to assess the concentrations of copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), phosphorus (P), and calcium (Ca) in serum samples obtained from patients with IVDD in comparison to healthy volunteers (a control group). The study group consisted of 113 Caucasian patients qualified by a specialist neurosurgeon for microdiscectomy.

Metal contamination in sediments of dam reservoirs: A multi-facetted generic risk assessment.

The quality of bottom sediments is a key factor for many functions of dam reservoirs, which include water supply, flood control and recreation. The aim of the study was to combine different pollution indices in a critical generic risk assessment of metal contamination of bottom sediments. Both geochemical and ecological indices reflected that sediment contamination was dominated by Zn, Pb and Cd.

Changes in Elements and Relationships among Elements in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a complex and progressive process of disc aging. One of the most important causes of changes in the internal environment, leading to IVDD, can be changes in the concentration of individual metal elements. This study aimed to analyze the concentrations of copper, iron, manganese, lead, zinc, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and calcium in the degenerated intervertebral discs of the lumbosacral spine, compared to healthy intervertebral discs.

Assessment of the pollution and ecological risk of lead and cadmium in soils.

The aim of the study was to assess the content, distribution, soil binding capacity, and ecological risk of cadmium and lead in the soils of Malopolska (South Poland). The investigation of 320 soil samples from differently used land (grassland, arable land, forest, wasteland) revealed a very high variation in the metal content in the soils. The pollution of soils with cadmium and lead is moderate.

Potential ecological risk assessment and predicting zinc accumulation in soils.

The aims of this study were to investigate zinc content in the studied soils; evaluate the efficiency of geostatistics in presenting spatial variability of zinc in the soils; assess bioavailable forms of zinc in the soils and to assess soil-zinc binding ability; and to estimate the potential ecological risk of zinc in soils. The study was conducted in southern Poland, in the Malopolska Province. This area is characterized by a great diversity of geological structures and types of land use and intensity of industrial development.

Study of quantitative interactions of potato and corn starch granules with ions in diluted solutions of heavy metal salts.

Interactions of potato and corn starch granules with ions in diluted solutions of silver, lead, copper or iron salts were investigated. It was shown experimentally that granules accumulated the cations in amounts depending on the granule structure and water content as well as a type of both metal and counter-ions present in solution. Potato starch retained almost three times more cations compared to corn starch what was proportional to the total phosphorous content in these starches.

Mathematical forecasting methods for predicting lead contents in animal organs on the basis of the environmental conditions.

The main objective of this study was to determine and describe the lead transfer in the soil-plant-animal system in areas polluted with this metal at varying degrees, with the use of mathematical forecasting methods and data mining tools contained in the Statistica 9.0 software programme. The starting point for the forecasting models comprised results derived from an analysis of different features of soil and plants, collected from 139 locations in an area covering 100km(2) around a lead-zinc ore mining and processing plant ('Boleslaw'), at Bukowno in southern Poland.

Chemical properties and toxicity of soils contaminated by mining activity.

This research is aimed at assessing the total content and soluble forms of metals (zinc, lead and cadmium) and toxicity of soils subjected to strong human pressure associated with mining of zinc and lead ores. The research area lay in the neighbourhood of the Bolesław Mine and Metallurgical Plant in Bukowno (Poland). The study obtained total cadmium concentration between 0.

Interactions of chromium ions with starch granules in an aqueous environment.

In this study, interactions of dichromate ions with potato starch granules in highly acidic aqueous solutions and at different temperatures were investigated. It was found that the process underwent a reduction of Cr(2)O(7)(2-) to Cr(3+) accompanied by the formation of intermediate Cr(5+) ions detected by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The reactions took place after the attachment of dichromate anions to the granules and resulted in a lowering of the Cr(2)O(7)(2-) initial content in the solution.

Enzyme activity as an indicator of soil-rehabilitation processes at a zinc and lead ore mining and processing area.

The activities of soil enzymes in relation to the changes occurring in the soil on a degraded area in southern Poland after zinc and lead mining were analyzed. An evaluation of the usefulness of urease and invertase activities for estimating the progress of the rehabilitation processes in degraded soil was performed. The data show that the soil samples differed significantly in organic carbon (0.