Assessing Environmental Risks of Local Contamination of Garden Urban Soils with Heavy Metals Using Ecotoxicological Tests
Heavy metal soil contamination in urban areas poses a significant environmental hazard, particularly in regions with historical or ongoing industrial activities. These areas are often polluted with metals such as Pb, Cu, Cd, and Zn, which can be absorbed by plants and pose risks to both ecosystems a...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Toxics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/12/12/873 |
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| author | Dariusz Gruszka Iwona Gruss Katarzyna Szopka |
| author_facet | Dariusz Gruszka Iwona Gruss Katarzyna Szopka |
| author_sort | Dariusz Gruszka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Heavy metal soil contamination in urban areas poses a significant environmental hazard, particularly in regions with historical or ongoing industrial activities. These areas are often polluted with metals such as Pb, Cu, Cd, and Zn, which can be absorbed by plants and pose risks to both ecosystems and human health. This study investigates soil contamination in urban gardens in Wroclaw, Poland, where elevated levels of trace elements were detected. Standard soil analyses, including macroelement content, granulometry, and trace element concentrations, were performed alongside an ecotoxicological evaluation using an Ostracodtoxkit test. The test evaluates the impact of contaminants on organism growth. An uncontaminated urban garden soil served as a reference. This study revealed that Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd concentrations in soils exceeded limits permitted by Polish regulations in several soil samples. Despite the high concentrations of total metals, the bioavailable forms of these metals (measured by extraction of 1 M NH<sub>4</sub>NO<sub>3</sub> extraction) were significantly lower, highlighting that the total metal content may not fully reflect the environmental risk. Pb was identified as the primary contributor to growth inhibition of test organisms, showing a particularly strong correlation with ecotoxicity. These findings underscore the importance of using ecotoxicological tests to evaluate soil contamination risks. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0d4d2c425f144af9bbe7c81d34e41958 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2305-6304 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Toxics |
| spelling | doaj-art-0d4d2c425f144af9bbe7c81d34e419582025-08-20T02:56:51ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042024-11-01121287310.3390/toxics12120873Assessing Environmental Risks of Local Contamination of Garden Urban Soils with Heavy Metals Using Ecotoxicological TestsDariusz Gruszka0Iwona Gruss1Katarzyna Szopka2Institute of Soil Science, Plant Nutrition and Environmental Protection, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 50-375 Wroclaw, PolandDepartment of Plant Protection, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 50-375 Wroclaw, PolandInstitute of Soil Science, Plant Nutrition and Environmental Protection, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 50-375 Wroclaw, PolandHeavy metal soil contamination in urban areas poses a significant environmental hazard, particularly in regions with historical or ongoing industrial activities. These areas are often polluted with metals such as Pb, Cu, Cd, and Zn, which can be absorbed by plants and pose risks to both ecosystems and human health. This study investigates soil contamination in urban gardens in Wroclaw, Poland, where elevated levels of trace elements were detected. Standard soil analyses, including macroelement content, granulometry, and trace element concentrations, were performed alongside an ecotoxicological evaluation using an Ostracodtoxkit test. The test evaluates the impact of contaminants on organism growth. An uncontaminated urban garden soil served as a reference. This study revealed that Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd concentrations in soils exceeded limits permitted by Polish regulations in several soil samples. Despite the high concentrations of total metals, the bioavailable forms of these metals (measured by extraction of 1 M NH<sub>4</sub>NO<sub>3</sub> extraction) were significantly lower, highlighting that the total metal content may not fully reflect the environmental risk. Pb was identified as the primary contributor to growth inhibition of test organisms, showing a particularly strong correlation with ecotoxicity. These findings underscore the importance of using ecotoxicological tests to evaluate soil contamination risks.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/12/12/873urban gardenssoil contaminated with trace materialsOstracodtoxkitecotoxicologyurban areas |
| spellingShingle | Dariusz Gruszka Iwona Gruss Katarzyna Szopka Assessing Environmental Risks of Local Contamination of Garden Urban Soils with Heavy Metals Using Ecotoxicological Tests Toxics urban gardens soil contaminated with trace materials Ostracodtoxkit ecotoxicology urban areas |
| title | Assessing Environmental Risks of Local Contamination of Garden Urban Soils with Heavy Metals Using Ecotoxicological Tests |
| title_full | Assessing Environmental Risks of Local Contamination of Garden Urban Soils with Heavy Metals Using Ecotoxicological Tests |
| title_fullStr | Assessing Environmental Risks of Local Contamination of Garden Urban Soils with Heavy Metals Using Ecotoxicological Tests |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing Environmental Risks of Local Contamination of Garden Urban Soils with Heavy Metals Using Ecotoxicological Tests |
| title_short | Assessing Environmental Risks of Local Contamination of Garden Urban Soils with Heavy Metals Using Ecotoxicological Tests |
| title_sort | assessing environmental risks of local contamination of garden urban soils with heavy metals using ecotoxicological tests |
| topic | urban gardens soil contaminated with trace materials Ostracodtoxkit ecotoxicology urban areas |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/12/12/873 |
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