Endangered Soil and Water in Zenica: Increased Concentrations of Lead, Sulfur, Arsenic...

The FBiH Government adopted the report on soil monitoring in the Zenica municipality area for 2015. The research, conducted by the Federal Institute for Agropedology in 12 populated places of this municipality, indicates increased concentrations of most inorganic and organic pollutants in water and soil, reports the Bosnian news agency Patria.

The most significant anthropogenic sources of biosphere and pedosphere pollution are industry, traffic, and various types of waste. In most cases, pollutants accumulate in the surface layer of the soil. Organic and inorganic pollutants are transferred from the soil and accumulate in plants, and then through the food chain to animals and humans. If polluting substances are present in larger quantities in the soil, groundwater can also be indirectly contaminated. The assessment is that the soil is highly endangered and maximum attention must be paid to its protection.

Analysis of the content of inorganic pollutants in the soil and leachate showed that nickel is present in transboundary quantities in samples from ten locations. Manganese is elevated in six, and cadmium in five. Arsenic is present in transboundary quantities in three, while lead is elevated in two samples. Elevated sulfur content in the soil was recorded at eleven of the 12 tested locations.

In leachate samples, elevated nitrate nitrogen content was recorded at six locations. Bicarbonates were present in slightly larger quantities at two locations, while manganese had an elevated value at one location.