CONTAMINATION OF ALLUVIAL SOILS BY HEAVY METALS IN CENTRAL BELARUS

Key words: heavy metals, contamination, alluvial soil, ecosystems

The heavy metal environment contamination in industrial urban centers arises the problem of integrated estimation of pollutant contents in different ecosys- tems. Heavy metals are one of the most proof and dangerous environment con- taminants. Rivers and their floodplains are the landscape constituents where environment contamination appears first and foremost.

Investigations were made in Central Belarus on several rivers and their flood- plains being under impact of ten cities. Sampling methods included the conju- gated sampling of river water, bottom sediment, humus layer of soil from the main floodplain facieses, dominant species of plants and cattle excrement. Samples have been taken up-stream (profiles in 15 km, 10 and 5 km), down- stream (profiles in 1,3,7, 15, 25 km) and inside of the city (3-7 profiles with a spacing of 0.5-1 km). For evaluation of the geochemical background a detailed complex investigation was performed in the Beresina River floodplain in the Beresinsky Biosphere Reserve. The total content of Cr, V, Mn, Ti, Ni, Co, Cu, Zr, Zn, Pb, Ba, Be, Y, Yb, Nb, Sc, Mo, and Ag was analyzed by means of atomic-emission spectrometry. Additionally, mobile compounds of Cd, Ni, Cr, Cu, Zn, and Co were evaluated as IM HC1 extraction with an atomic-absorption ending.