Other Approaches to Metal Forms and Mobility

Finally, some data on heavy metal concentration in plants grown within the sanitary protections zones will be presented, as they illustrate the problem of current environmental pollution in the surroundings of copper smelters. However, it should be emphasized that not only the metal uptake from soil, but first of all direct dust deposition contribute to final metal concentration in the plant tissues. Table 6.9 presents data on Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd concentrations in the straw and grains of different cereals collected in years 1989-93 from the fixed sampling points described above. Although chemical compositions of plants grown in the pot experiments and under field conditions should not be simply compared, it can be easily seen that Cu and Pb concentrations in the straw were much higher in the field that in the pot experiment, where soil was the only source of heavy metals for plants. 

In the end, it is worth mentioning that another kind of approach could still be undertaken to determine copper and lead forms in soils polluted with metallurgical dust. This is namely the direct electron microprobe analysis (Hiller and Bruemmer 1989 Weber and Kowaliiiski 1987 Weber 1989). However, some attempts to apply this method to the soils from copper smelter neighbour- 

Smelter Distance, ] km Direction Location No. Straw Cu Pb Metals in cereals, mg/kg d.w. Grains Zn Cd Cu Pb Zn Cd  

A strong accumulation of heavy metals, especially Cu and Pb, occurred in the surface layer of soils surrounding the copper smelters Legnica and Glogow . 

Although no indication was found in the profile distribution of heavy metals in soils which would support the occurrence of metal leaching, it is very likely that, in spite of soil liming, such a process takes place, especially in sandy soils. 

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