Mercury as a potentially toxic element in sediments in the region markedly affected by anthropogenically activity

Abstract

DOI: 10.15414/afz.2014.17.01.06-10

Received 27. January 2014 ǀ Accepted 20. March 2014 ǀ Available online 8. April 2014

The environment is threatened by potentially toxic elements. Transport mediums of potentially toxic elements are water and air flow in individual components of environment. The aim of this paper was to analyze and evaluate the sediment of selected water reservoirs Počúvadlo, Malá Richňava, Veľká Richňava, Windšachta, to determine the concentrations of mercury in monitored water reservoirs in the Banská Štiavnica region. The analyses of the sediment samples were carried out by the flow electrochemistry and the atomic absorption spectrometry. In the study area samples collected from 2001 to 2010, we found the following concentrations of mercury in the range from 0.018 to 0.49 mg.kg^-1 Hg of dry matter. Based on the calculated dependency index, it is possible to assess the development of changes in concentrations over the years as highly dynamic, the natural environment unsatisfactory. From statistical processing by Spearman of sediments data we had ascertained, that dependencies of Hg : As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn.

Keywords: mercury, sediment, statistical processing, water reservoirs