Content

Potentially toxic elements (PTE) and their solid forms in the urban environment are the result of the simultaneous occurrence of different natural processes and anthropogenic activities and their combination and are therefore found in almost all environmental media, which are in constant interaction with each other. Pollutants are continuously transferred between them, leading to chemical and physical changes in both the pollutants and the environmental media. The dynamic and continuous nature of the interactions between the different environmental media requires the simultaneous (integrated) study of several different media, their interactions, the stability of the fixed forms of PTE and trends in space and time, which is necessary for the adequate characterisation of the quality of the urban environment, the differentiation of pollution sources and the assessment of negative impacts on human health.

The project focussed on specific urban areas and areas with past and present industrial activity, as well as rural areas with no known major sources of pollution. In these areas, the geochemical processes in the urban environment were comprehensively investigated, focussing on the geochemistry of PTE and its solid phase forms. Using various chemical and particulate characterisation methods, we determined the total content of PTE, the fraction of PTE available to biota and the estimated environmental mobility of PTE in different environmental media, and obtained data on the properties of solid PTE species and their stability in the environment.

The objectives of the project were: to define the geochemical assemblages of PTE in the studied urban environment, to identify solid geochemical information carriers and their properties as markers for PTE sources, to assess the stability of PTE and their solids, changes in different media of the urban environment and to develop a conceptual model of the material flow of PTE and their solids from the sources via the transport pathways to the sinks in the urban environment.

As no such integrated research on the urban environment has been conducted in Slovenia before, the results of the research have contributed to the understanding of the behaviour of PTE and its solid forms in the urban environment from source to sink and their potential harmfulness to biota. The project has contributed to the development of the fields of urban geochemistry and environmental mineralogy. The results of the project have also helped to solve geological problems and improve interpretations in other geological fields, as it is now possible to distinguish more reliably between geogenic and anthropogenic materials and the processes that influence their stability in the environment. The results of the project are useful for understanding the environment in which we live and for planning measures to improve the quality of urban environment.

Project phases:

1. Selection of sites for investigation and preparation of the sampling plan
2. Sampling of environmental media (soil, sediment, airborne particulate matter, precipitation, road dust, house and attic dust) and field measurements (physical parameters of water)
3. Preparation of laboratory samples
4. Sample analyses (chemical analysis, SEM/EDS, DIPA, stability/bioavailability) and laboratory measurements (physical parameters in the investigated media)
5. Data processing and interpretation
6. Presentation of the project results (final report, public publication of the results)

 

PROJECT BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES:

1.01 Original scientific articles

1. GABERŠEK, M., WATTS, M. J., GOSAR, M. Attic dust: an archive of historical air contamination of the urban environment and potential hazard to health?. Journal of hazardous materials 432, 2022, 14 p., DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128745. [COBISS.SI-ID 102046723]
2. MILER, M., BAVEC, Š., GOSAR, M. The environmental impact of historical Pb-Zn mining waste deposits in Slovenia. Journal of environmental management 308, 2022, 114580, DOI: .. [COBISS.SI-ID 99235331]
3. ZUPANČIČ, M., ŠUŠTERŠIČ, M., BAVEC, Š., GOSAR, M. Oral and inhalation bioaccessibility of potentially toxic elements in household dust from former Hg mining district, Idrija, Slovenia. Environmental geochemistry and health 43/9, 2021, 3505-3531, DOI: 10.1007/s10653-021-00835-z. [COBISS.SI-ID 58384131]
4. MILER, M. Airborne particles in city bus: concentrations, sources and simulated pulmonary solubility. Environmental geochemistry and health 43/7, 2021, 2757-2780, DOI: .. [COBISS.SI-ID 38478851]
5. PEZDIR, V., ČERU, T., HORN, B., GOSAR, M. Investigating peatland stratigraphy and development of the Šijec bog (Slovenia) using near-surface geophysical methods. Catena: an interdisciplinary journal of soil science, hydrology- geomorphology focusing on geology and landscape evolution 206, 2021, 15 p., DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2021.105484. [COBISS.SI-ID 66109443]
6. GABERŠEK, M., GOSAR, M. Meltwater chemistry and characteristics of particulate matter deposited in snow as indicators of anthropogenic influences in an urban area. Environmental geochemistry and health 43/7, 2021, 2583-2595, DOI: 10.1007/s10653-020-00609-z. [COBISS.SI-ID 18068739]
7. ŽIBRET, G., ČEPLAK, B. Distribution of Pb, Zn and Cd in stream and alluvial sediments in the area with past Zn smelting operations. Scientific reports 11, 2021, 1-14, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96989-y. [COBISS.SI-ID 76434691
8. ZUPANČIČ, N., MILER, M., AŠLER, A., POMPE, N., JARC, S. Contamination of children's sandboxes with potentially toxic elements in historically polluted industrial city. Journal of hazardous materials 412, 2021, 125275, DOI: .. [COBISS.SI-ID 49439235]
9. GABERŠEK, M., GOSAR, M. Towards a holistic approach to the geochemistry of solid inorganic particles in the urban environment. Science of the total environment 763, 2021, 144214, DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144214. [COBISS.SI-ID 45114627]
10. GABERŠEK, M., GRČMAN, H., GOSAR, M. Mineral composition, pedological characteristics and fractionation of selected chemical elements in soil of Maribor = Mineral composition, pedological characteristics and fractionation of selected chemical elements in soil of Maribor. Geologija 63/2, 2020, 177-191, DOI: 10.5474/geologija.2020.015. [COBISS.SI-ID 22471683]

 

1.08 Scientific paper published at conference

9. GABERŠEK, M., MILER, M., GOSAR, M. Particulate matter in snow: an indicator of anthropogenic impact on the urban environment. In: ROŽIČ, B. (ur.). Razprave, poročila = Treatises, reports. 24. posvetovanje slovenskih geologov = 24th Meeting of Slovenian Geologists, Ljubljana, November 2019. Ljubljana: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Geology. 2019, pp. 29-32. Geological Proceedings, 25. [COBISS.SI-ID 2984021]