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Analysis of Heavy Metal Sources for Urban Creeks in the Czech Republic

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Abstract

The study analyzes the presence and the origin of heavy metals in environmental compartments affected by anthropogenic activities. The paper presents the results of a field study performed on the sediments of two of the main small urban creeks of the city of Prague (Czech Republic). The aim of the survey was to verify the presence and bioavailability of heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn) in the aquatic environment (water as well as bottom sediments), and to assess the source of these pollutants. The results were processed to evaluate the enrichment factor and the partition coefficient, and were statistically analyzed through the analysis of variance and the principal component analysis. Comparison with relevant environmental quality standards showed that measured heavy metal concentrations were always lower than the probable effect concentration (PEC). On the contrary, the threshold effect concentration (TEC) was frequently exceeded. Sequential extraction analysis showed that the bioavailability of studied metals is quite high, suggesting that they could be easily released from the sediment to the aquatic environment. Overall, several sources of pollution, different for the different metals, were identified, all related with anthropogenic factors.

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Acknowledgments

This works was supported by TACR, project no. TE02000077, Competence Centres, Smart Regions—Buildings and Settlements Information Modelling, Technology and Infrastructure for sustainable Development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Claudio 21, 80125, Naples, Italy

    Marco Race, Massimiliano Fabbricino & Francesco Pirozzi

  2. Department of Sanitary and Ecological Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Thákurova 7, Prague 6, 166 29, Czech Republic

    Jana Nabelkova

  3. Department of Earth Science, Environment and Resources, University of Naples Federico II, Largo San Marcellino 10, 80138, Naples, Italy

    Pasquale Raia

Authors
  1. Marco Race
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  2. Jana Nabelkova
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  3. Massimiliano Fabbricino
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  4. Francesco Pirozzi
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  5. Pasquale Raia
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Correspondence to Marco Race.

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Race, M., Nabelkova, J., Fabbricino, M. et al. Analysis of Heavy Metal Sources for Urban Creeks in the Czech Republic. Water Air Soil Pollut 226, 322 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-015-2579-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-015-2579-z

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