scholarly journals Natural Background Levels of Potentially Toxic Elements in Groundwater from a Former Asbestos Mine in Serpentinite (Balangero, North Italy)

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 735
Author(s):  
Elisa Sacchi ◽  
Massimo Bergamini ◽  
Elisa Lazzari ◽  
Arianna Musacchio ◽  
Jordi-René Mor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Toxic Elements ◽  
Statistical Evaluation ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Potentially Toxic Elements ◽  
Contaminated Site ◽  
Natural Background ◽  
Background Levels ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Real Challenge

The definition of natural background levels (NBLs) for potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in groundwater from mining environments is a real challenge, as anthropogenic activities boost water–rock interactions, further increasing the naturally high concentrations. This study illustrates the procedure followed to derive PTE concentration values that can be adopted as NBLs for the former Balangero asbestos mine, a “Contaminated Site of National Interest”. A full hydrogeochemical characterisation allowed for defining the dominant Mg-HCO3 facies, tending towards the Mg-SO4 facies with increasing mineralisation. PTE concentrations are high, and often exceed the groundwater quality thresholds for Cr VI, Ni, Mn and Fe (5, 20, 50 and 200 µg/L, respectively). The Italian guidelines for NBL assessment recommend using the median as a representative concentration for each monitoring station. However, this involves discarding half of the measurements and in particular the higher concentrations, thus resulting in too conservative estimates. Using instead all the available measurements and the recommended statistical evaluation, the derived NBLs were: Cr = 39.3, Cr VI = 38.1, Ni = 84, Mn = 71.36, Fe = 58.4, Zn = 232.2 µg/L. These values are compared to literature data from similar hydrogeochemical settings, to support the conclusion on their natural origin. Results highlight the need for a partial rethink of the guidelines for the assessment of NBLs in naturally enriched environmental settings.

scholarly journals How to manage potential groundwater contaminations by As, Fe and Mn in lower Po Plain: a proposal from the case study of Cremona

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Rotiroti ◽  
Letizia Fumagalli ◽  
Tullia Bonomi
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Contaminated Site ◽  
Anthropogenic Influences ◽  
Natural Background ◽  
Po Plain ◽  
Administrative Procedure ◽  
Background Levels ◽  
Fe And Mn ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Definition Of

The Legislative Decree 152/06 on environmental regulations also governs polluted site remediation (Part IV). A potentially contaminated site is defined when concentrations exceed the limits reported in the Attachment 5 (Title V). Nevertheless, the Legislative Decree 152/06 considers the possibility of higher limits than Attachment 5 for trace elements in the case of natural high contents by the definition of natural background levels. The lower Po Plain is characterized by high natural concentrations of As, Fe and Mn in groundwater and, at the same time, is one of the most important areas for the Italian productive system, and thus, possible direct sources of As, Fe and Mn or indirect anthropogenic influences could also exist. Therefore, an operative tool is required to determine the natural background levels and to understand if measured high concentrations are attributable to natural backgrounds or to anthropogenic sources/influences, and consequently, to decide on the beginning of the administrative procedure requested by the Legislative Decree 152/09 through the site characterization phase. This work presents a proposal of procedure to manage potentially contaminated site by As, Fe and Mn in the lower Po Plain, that was developed in the framework of a scientific collaboration between the Province of Cremona and the University of Milano-Bicocca. The procedure involves the following four steps, preceded by the derivation of natural background levels as step zero: (1) comparing new measurements to natural background levels; (2) testing the presence of direct anthropogenic sources of As, Fe and Mn; (3) excluding false positives and (4) testing the presence of indirect anthropogenic influences on As, Fe and Mn concentrations. The operative application of the proposed procedure is actually under consideration by the Province of Cremona.

scholarly journals Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in Soils and Bulbs of Elephant Garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.) Grown in Valdichiana, a Traditional Cultivation Area of Tuscany, Italy

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 7023
Author(s):  
Vannini Andrea ◽  
Martina Grattacaso ◽  
Giulia Canali ◽  
Francesco Nannoni ◽  
Luigi Antonello Di Lella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Risk ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Toxic Elements ◽  
Daily Intake ◽  
Potentially Toxic Elements ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Allium Ampeloprasum ◽  
Inductively Coupled ◽  
Risk Indices ◽  
High Concentrations

The aim of this study was to provide, for the first time, data on the concentration of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soils and bulbs of elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.) cultivated in Valdichiana, a traditional agricultural area of Tuscany, Italy. Bulbs of elephant garlic and soil samples were collected in four cultivation fields and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine the concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, Tl, U, V, Zn. The concentrations of these PTEs in bulbs and cultivation soils were used to calculate geochemical, ecological and health risk indices. The results of this study suggest that, although bulbs of elephant garlic from the Valdichiana area may present slightly high concentrations of Cd, Ni and Pb, the associated health risk based on the daily intake is absolutely negligible. Cultivation soils had somewhat high Cu concentrations probably due to the diffuse use of Cu-based products in agriculture, but showed overall a very low ecological risk.

scholarly journals Environmental Threats of Ancient Pb Mining and Metallurgical Activities in the Linares Mining District (Southern Spain)

Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (23) ◽  
pp. 1459
Author(s):  
Carlos Boente ◽  
Carlos Sierra ◽  
Julián Martínez ◽  
Eduardo Rodríguez-Valdés ◽  
Elías Afif ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Toxic Elements ◽  
Potentially Toxic Elements ◽  
Mining District ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Environmental Threats ◽  
Industrial Sites ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Metallurgical Activities

Former industrial sites are now dedicated to other land uses in the Linares mining district. Here we selected five residential/farming areas (squares of 1 km2 each) and sought to evaluate the levels of contamination by Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) of the soils, and also to offer an insight into the threat these pollutants may pose to human health or the environment by means of risk assessment. High concentrations especially of Pb, and also of As, Cd, Cu and Zn were found in quantities that are considerably bioavailable. Moreover, risk assessment revealed unacceptable concentrations for Pb and As in all the areas as well as for Cd and Cu in some squares.

scholarly journals Spatial Mobility of U and Th in a U-enriched Area (Central Portugal)

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (21) ◽  
pp. 7866
Author(s):  
Margarida Antunes ◽  
António Santos ◽  
Teresa Valente ◽  
Teresa Albuquerque
Keyword(s):  
Toxic Elements ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Stream Sediments ◽  
Potentially Toxic Elements ◽  
Uranium Mine ◽  
Spatial Mobility ◽  
Contamination Index ◽  
Mine Dumps ◽  
Central Portugal ◽  
High Concentrations

Uranium and thorium are toxic in different environments. The exploitation of uranium mines and associated mine drainage leaching towards streams, sediments, and soils cause relevant pollution. The U-mine areas present high concentrations of potentially toxic elements with several consequences to ecosystems and human health. Physicochemical and potentially toxic elements of mine dumps, stream sediments, and soils from the Canto Lagar uranium mine area (Central Portugal) were analyzed. Stream sediments, soils, and mine dumps show a large range in the concentration values of Fe, U, As, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Th, suggesting geological and mine contributions. Most of the selected potential toxic elements from sediments present a low to moderate contamination degree, except for As, W, and U, which vary between high and very high contamination index. The soils must not be used in agricultural or residential activities due to contamination in As and U. This abandoned mine represents an environmental risk due to the spatial mobility and dispersion of potentially toxic elements from the dumps to the sediments and soils, as well as by surface runoff and wind.

Estimation of natural background level of Cr(VI) in ultramafic rock related alluvial aquifers of central Greece: Comparison of results by statistical and deterministic preselection method approaches

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariadne Argyraki ◽  
Konstantina Pyrgaki ◽  
Efstratios Kelepertzis ◽  
Fotini Botsou ◽  
Ifigeneia Megremi
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Approach ◽  
Ultramafic Rock ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Background Level ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Background Concentration ◽  
Natural Background ◽  
Central Greece ◽  
Alluvial Groundwater ◽  
Definition Of

<p>The definition of natural background concentration levels (NBLs) of geogenic trace metals in groundwater is a challenging issue, particularly in areas where anthropogenic activities are also present. The estimation of NBLs, in combination with environmental quality standards, in such areas is particularly important for the establishment of relevant groundwater threshold values. Over 100 groundwater samples were collected and analysed from four Cr(VI) impacted, alluvial groundwater bodies of central Greece during two consecutive hydrologic years. A common feature of the examined aquifers is the presence of weathered ultramafic rock material in the alluvial sediments. Most sampled boreholes (79 %) are used for irrigation, whereas 21 % of them are used for domestic drinking water supply. Hexavalent Cr concentrations in groundwater, ranging from below detection limit to 430 μg/L, have been attributed to both geogenic and anthropogenic factors. The scope of the present study is to estimate the NBL of Cr(VI) by using a classical statistical approach and a deterministic preselection method and test the comparability of results. In the statistical approach the distribution of samples versus Cr(VI) concentrations has been explored by using probability plots. In this way, the concentration variations within the examined groundwater bodies can be studied and the presence of sub-populations becomes evident by breaks in the slope. In the instance of the preselection method, the concentrations of a set of additional analyzed parameters in ground water, including major water ions and nitrate as well as dissolved oxygen, have been taken into account in order to categorize the samples into two groups of low and high anthropogenic influence, respectively. The comparability of the results derived by the two approaches are discussed in the context of EU Water Framework Directive.</p>

scholarly journals Deriving Natural Background Levels of Arsenic at the Meso-Scale Using Site-Specific Datasets: An Unorthodox Method

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 452
Author(s):  
Maria Filippini ◽  
Chiara Zanotti ◽  
Tullia Bonomi ◽  
Vito G. Sacchetti ◽  
Alessandro Amorosi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Local Scale ◽  
Shallow Aquifer ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Monitoring Networks ◽  
Natural Background ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Background Levels ◽  
Polluted Sites ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Meso Scale

Arsenic is found in groundwater above regulatory limits in many countries and its origin is often from natural sources, making the definition of Natural Background Levels (NBLs) crucial. NBL is commonly assessed based on either dedicated small-scale monitoring campaigns or large-scale national/regional groundwater monitoring networks that may not grab local-scale heterogeneities. An alternative method is represented by site-specific monitoring networks in contaminated/polluted sites under remediation. As a main drawback, groundwater quality at these sites is affected by human activities. This paper explores the potential for groundwater data from an assemblage of site-specific datasets of contaminated/polluted sites to define NBLs of arsenic (As) at the meso-scale (order of 1000 km2). Common procedures for the assessment of human influence cannot be applied to this type of dataset due to limited data homogeneity. Thus, an “unorthodox” method is applied involving the definition of a consistent working dataset followed by a statistical identification and critical analysis of the outliers. The study was conducted in a highly anthropized area (Ferrara, N Italy), where As concentrations often exceed national threshold limits in a shallow aquifer. The results show that site-specific datasets, if properly pre-treated, are an effective alternative for the derivation of NBLs when regional monitoring networks fail to catch local-scale variability.

scholarly journals eNaBLe, an On-Line Tool to Evaluate Natural Background Levels in Groundwater Bodies

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 74
Author(s):  
Daniele Parrone ◽  
Eleonora Frollini ◽  
Elisabetta Preziosi ◽  
Stefano Ghergo
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Inorganic Compounds ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Selection Method ◽  
Database Management System ◽  
Natural Background ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Background Levels ◽  
On Line ◽  
Groundwater Body

Inorganic compounds in groundwater may derive from both natural processes and anthropogenic activities. The assessment of natural background levels (NBLs) is often useful to distinguish these sources. The approaches for the NBLs assessment can be classified as geochemical (e.g., the well-known pre-selection method) or statistical, the latter involving the application of statistical procedures to separate natural and anthropogenic populations. National Guidelines for the NBLs assessment in groundwater have been published in Italy (ISPRA 155/2017), based mainly on the pre-selection method. The Guidelines propose different assessment paths according to the sample size in spatial/temporal dimension and the type of the distribution of the pre-selected dataset, taking also into account the redox conditions of the groundwater body. The obtained NBLs are labelled with a different confidence level in function of number of total observations/monitoring sites, extension of groundwater body and aquifer type (confined or unconfined). To support the implementation of the Guidelines, the on-line tool evaluation of natural background levels (eNaBLe), written in PHP and using MySQL as DBMS (DataBase Management System), has been developed. The main goal of this paper is to describe the functioning of eNaBLe and test the tool on a case study in central Italy. We calculated the NBLs of As, F, Fe and Mn in the southern portion of the Mounts Vulsini groundwater body, within the volcanic province of Latium (Central Italy), also separating the reducing and oxidizing facies. Specific results aside, this study allowed to verify the functioning and possible improvements of the online tool and to identify some criticalities in the procedure NBLs assessment at the groundwater body scale

scholarly journals Hydrogeochemical Processes and Natural Background Levels of Chromium in an Ultramafic Environment. The Case Study of Vermio Mountain, Western Macedonia, Greece

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 2809
Author(s):  
Eleni Vasileiou ◽  
Panagiotis Papazotos ◽  
Dimitrios Dimitrakopoulos ◽  
Maria Perraki
Keyword(s):  
Hydrogeochemical Processes ◽  
Natural Background ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Background Levels ◽  
Groundwater Samples ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Natural Spring ◽  
Physical And Chemical

The hydrogeochemical processes and natural background levels (NBLs) of chromium in the ultramafic environment of Vermio Mountain, Western Macedonia, Greece, were studied. Seventy groundwater samples were collected from 15 natural springs between 2014‒2020, and an extensive set of physical and chemical parameters were determined. The ultramafic-dominated environment of western Vermio Mt. favors elevated groundwater concentrations of dissolved magnesium (Mg2+), silicon (Si), nickel (Ni), and Cr in natural spring waters. Chromium was the principal environmental parameter that exhibited a wide range of concentrations, from 0.5 to 131.5 μg/L, systematically exceeding the permissible limit of 50 μg/L for drinking water. Statistical evaluation of hydrogeological, hydrochemical, and hydrological data highlighted the water-ultramafic rock process as the predominant contributor of Cr in groundwater. The NBL assessment for Cr and Cr(VI) was successfully applied to the typical ultramafic-dominated spring “Potistis” that satisfied all the methodology criteria. The NBLs of Cr and Cr(VI) were defined at 130 μg/L and 100 μg/L, respectively, revealing that a natural ultramafic-dominated environment exhibits the geochemical potential to contribute very high concentrations of geogenic Cr to groundwater. The holistic methodology, proposed herein, could be implemented in any catchment scale to assess geogenic and anthropogenic Cr-sources that degrade groundwater quality.

Transfer of heavy metals to plants in technosols remediated with calcareous residues.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Pérez-Sirvent ◽  
Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez ◽  
Salvadora Martinez-Lopez ◽  
Ines Agudo ◽  
Jaime Bech
Keyword(s):  
Contaminated Soil ◽  
Toxic Elements ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Potentially Toxic Elements ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Limestone Filler ◽  
Transfer Factors ◽  
Reference Soil ◽  
Vegetable Soil ◽  
High Concentrations

<p>When dealing with restoration and remediation projects of zones contaminated by waste and activities derived from mining operations, all the aspects that affect the neighbouring areas dedicated to the cultivation of vegetables are especially relevant, and should be carefully considered. According to previous studies carried out, the areas of mining influence affect to a very different extent the bordering areas depending not only of the characteristics of the soil but also of the type of mining activity that was developed, and so of the primary mineralogy involved, and even of the particular type of vegetable that is being cultivated. The diversity and complexity of these factors suggest the convenient of studying the process by clarifying the mechanisms of transfer of potentially toxic elements from the soil to the biotic environment, with the soil-plant-biotic chain sequence.</p><p>In this work an experimental study was carried out with this purpose making use of experiments carried out at the greenhouse scale in order to find a model that could clarify the processes that could take place in restored soils.</p><p> </p><p>Construction and demolition residues (CDRs) as well as other residues containing high concentrations in limestone filler were used to prepare technosols, and the transfer factors (TF) and bioconcentration factors (BCF) of potentially toxic elements were measured for the selected plant species (chard and broccoli). In this way, in addition to the soil remediation, benefit can be obtained of the re-valorization of such type of  easily available, low cost residues. For the realization of the tests in the greenhouse, four technosols were prepared and experiments were planned in duplicate, which constituted eight experimental units, each one containing 21 large pots disposed in such a way that leachates were poured in the same storing tank.  </p><p>The technosols were prepared as follows:</p><ul><li>Vegetable soil or reference soil. (T1)</li> <li>Contaminated soil: 50% reference soil + 50% mine residue (T2).</li> <li>Amended Land 1: 75% contaminated soil + 25% CDR (T3).</li> <li>Amended soil 2: 75% contaminated soil + 25% Limestone filler (T4).</li> </ul><p> </p><p>A statistical study was carried out to evaluate the relationships between the levels of potentially toxic elements (Pb and Cd) found in rhizospheres and root contents and the levels present in the technosols prepared. Conclusions could be obtained as regards  the mobility of  these elements, the characteristics of the technosols and the type of cultivation. The data allows a model to be outlined that could be translated at a higher scale for an effective remediation of large zones.</p><p> </p><p> </p>

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