Krzysztof Loska

Application of principal component analysis for the estimation of source of heavy metal contamination in surface sediments from the Rybnik Reservoir

The concentrations of metals, loss of ignition and nutrient (N, P) were determined in the bottom sediments of the Rybnik Reservoir (southern Poland). The mean concentrations of the metals in the bottom sediments were: Cd 25.8 microgram/g, Cu 451.7 microgram/g, Zn 1583.4 microgram/g, Ni 71.1 microgram/g, Pb 118.6 microgram/g, Cr 129.8 microgram/g, Fe 38782 microgram/g and Mn 2018.7 microgram/g. The bottom sediments are very heavily loaded with zinc, manganese, copper, nickel, phosphorus and lead (percentage enrichment factor), and cadmium, phosphorus and zinc (index of geoaccumulation). The increase of cadmium, lead, nickel and zinc concentrations was connected with the inflow of the contaminated water of the river Ruda and long-range transport. The contamination of the reservoir with copper and manganese resulted mainly from atmospheric precipitation. The variability of the bottom sediment loading with metals during the investigations was affected in the first place by changes in the concentration of iron, but also those elements whose concentrations in the bottom sediment were elevated compared to the concentrations in shale--cadmium, nickel and lead.

Metal contamination of farming soils affected by industry

The contents of nine elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb and Zn) have been assayed in the farming soils of Suszec commune (southern Poland). This area is affected by the main industrial centre of Poland (the Upper Silesian Industrial Region), the Czech Republic (Trzyniec smelter) and local contamination sources (coal mine). The contamination of the soils was assessed on the basis of geoaccumulation index, enrichment factor, contamination factor and degree of contamination. The tests revealed elevated contents of cadmium, lead, arsenic, antimony and mercury. The contents of the other elements were similar to the levels in the Earths crust or pointed to metal depletion in the soil (EF<1).

Use of Enrichment, and Contamination Factors Together with Geoaccumulation Indexes to Evaluate the Content of Cd, Cu, and Ni in the Rybnik Water Reservoir in Poland

In this paper, the contamination degree of the Rybnik Reservoir with cadmium, copper andnickel was analyzed. Quality of the water from the reservoir was determined by drawingcomparisons between the metal content in the water and both the officially permitted levels(contamination factor) and levels of metals occurring in the water of non-contaminated areas(enrichment factor). Contamination of bottom sediment with chosen metals was analyzed withreference to the metal content in mudstone (geoaccumulation index, enrichment factor,contamination factor). Trends towards changing the metal content in the bottom sediment wasanalyzed by determining the enrichment factor of the surface layer of the bottom sediments inrelation to a deeper layer. Enrichment of the bottom sediments with metals coming from the waterwas also determined.

Application of the hybrid complexation-ultrafiltration process for removal of metal ions from galvanic wastewater

Abstract This paper presents a possibility of removing Cu(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) ions from model and real galvanic wastewater applying the hybrid complexation-ultrafiltration process. The complexing agent applied in the research was Instar AS which contained polyacrylic acid. In order to separate the formed metal complexes, porous membranes made from polycaprolactam were used. The most favourable ratio between the concentrations of the complexing agent and the metal ions and optimum pH were determined applying model solutions. The process of concentration of real wastewater was characterized by good effectiveness and enabled an 85–97% retention of the metal present in the wastewater.

Comparison of methods for leaching heavy metals from composts

This paper presents the determination of total iron, copper, zinc, chromium, nickel, lead, cadmium and mercury contents in the compost obtained from sorted municipal organic solid waste applying the following methods of sample mineralization: 40% hydrofluoric acid with preliminary incineration of a sample, a mixture of concentrated nitric(V) and chloric(VII) acids with preliminary incineration of organic matter and a mixture of nitric(V) and chloric(VII) acids without sample incineration. The speciation analysis of Tessier was used to estimate the bioavailability of the metals. Elution degrees of the mobile forms of the metals from the compost with 10% nitric(V) acid and 1 mol/dm(3) hydrochloric acid were compared. The contents of the elements in the eluates were determined applying atomic absorption spectrometry.

An assessment of natural concentrations of selected metals in the bone tissues of the femur head.

The study was aimed at assessing the natural concentrations of copper, iron, potassium, lead and cadmium in the femur head using regression analysis. The material was collected during the operation of total hip arthroplasty from patients of southern and central Poland suffering from diagnosed coxarthrosis. In total, 197 samples were collected, including 68 samples of spongious bone, 59 samples of cortical bone and 70 samples of cartilage surface. After wet microwave digestion, the metal content in the samples was measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The average concentrations of metals in the femur head were 67.30 microgFe/g, 760.58 microgK/g, 0.07 microgCd/g, 0.81 microgCu/g and 2.76 microgPb/g. A comparison of metal concentrations in bone tissues assessed by regression analysis to the findings of other authors revealed that the technique can be used to assess the natural concentration of elements in tissues and the results may provide a basis for the evaluation of metal concentrations in the human organism.

Application of Enrichment Factor to Assessment of Zinc Enrichment/Depletion in Farming Soils

Abstract Zinc (Zn) content was assayed in the farming soils of Suszec commune (agricultural and mining district in southern Poland). Its content in the soils (n=1227) assayed by means of atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) ranged from 22.8 to 177.1 mg/kg. The enrichment factor (EF) calculated by using calcium as a reference element fell within a range of 0.66–2.63. The mean values of the enrichment factor classified the soil as slightly contaminated with zinc. The values of EF less than 1 pointing to zinc deficiency in the soil were found for 52% of the samples tested. Acid soils with low humus content showed a tendency for zinc‐deficient samples to significantly increase in number.

Chromium, Zinc and Magnesium Concentrations in the Pubic Hair of Obese and Overweight Women

The study addressed chromium, zinc and magnesium concentrations in the pubic hair of obese and overweight women. It was carried out on hair collected from 85 women at the age of 16–80 living in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship (southern Poland). The experimental and control groups consisted of 39 and 46 females, respectively. The pubic hair was prepared under a procedure established by the International Atomic Energy Agency, followed by wet digestion in a microwave oven. The concentration of the metals in the pubic hair and reference material was assayed with the flame (Mg, Zn) and flameless (Cr) atomic absorption spectrometry. The pubic hair of overweight and obese women from the experimental group revealed significantly higher chromium and magnesium concentrations and significantly lower concentrations of zinc than in the control group. An increase in BMI brought about an increase in chromium and magnesium concentrations while zinc concentration decreased with increasing BMI. The disturbances in the mineral balance of overweight and obese women were also demonstrated by significantly different ratios of the elements compared with the control group.

Arsenic content in the femur head of the residents of southern and central Poland

Arsenic content was assayed in the samples of the femur head of the people living in southern and central Poland (Kraków, n=13; Silesian region, n=13; Łódź, n=12). The average age being 68.7±8.7 yr. Arsenic content in the femur head was determined applying the hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS) method after microwave mineralization. The average arsenic contents in the femur head of the residents of the Łódź, Kraków, and Silesian regions were 0.41 µg/g, 0.37 µg/g, and 0.18 µg/g, respectively. No correlation has been found between arsenic content in the femur head and the content of other metals. Neither the age nor sex of the people tested affected the arsenic content in the femur head.

Speciation of Cadmium in the Bottom Sediment of Rybnik Reservoir

Forms of cadmium occurrence in the bottom sediment of a heated water reservoir, polluted substantially with this metal was analysed in the paper. Apart from the analysis mentioned above, a total cadmium content in the bottom sediment and a content of cadmium dissolved in the water of the reservoir was also determined. Dependences between particular forms of cadmium occurrence and its total content in the bottom sediment were analysed. An influence of cadmium content in water on the level of particular cadmium forms in the bottom sediment and an influence of other parameters of the reservoirs water on the content of cadmium in the bottom sediment were also examined.