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Analysis of predictors related to soil contamination in recreational areas of Romania

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Abstract

Soil contamination in recreational areas can considerably affect children’s health, as they are the segment of the population most sensitive to anthropogenic contamination. Soil contamination in recreational areas is influenced by a number of factors such as type and age of the recreational area, nearby traffic intensity, proximity to industrial areas, presence of vegetation, level of usage, treated wood structures, and the extent of maintenance operations carried out in the area. These can most often be observed during a simple site visit. The purpose of the present research is to analyze to which extent the presence of these factors can trigger an alarm signal, highlighting soil contamination in urban recreational areas. In this regard, soil contamination was scaled using the integrated pollution index applied on nine distinctive contaminants (As, Cu, Cd, Zn, Pb, Hg, Co, Ni, Mg) identified using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed in order to assess predictors of soil contamination. The research was carried out in a number of 88 recreational areas, parks, and playgrounds from 19 Romanian cities, revealing the fact that proximity to industrial areas and intensive traffic had statistically significant effects on soil contamination. Furthermore, it was observed that in 78 out of the 88 analyzed locations, the concentrations of contaminants exceeded the guidelines established through national legislation, thus confirming the presumption that high concentrations of contaminants exist in the parks and playgrounds of Romania.

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Acknowledgments

This paper was supported by the Sectorial Operational Programme Human Resources Development POSDRU/159/1.5/S/137516 financed from the European Social Fund and by the Romanian Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Materials Science and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 103 - 105, Muncii Blvd, 400641, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    C. Gagiu & E. M. Pica

  2. Institute for Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDÆA-CSIC), C/ Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain

    X. Querol

  3. Research Center for Disaster Management, Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, 30 Fântânele Street, 400294, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    C. S Botezan

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  1. C. Gagiu
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  2. E. M. Pica
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Correspondence to C. S Botezan.

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Gagiu, C., Pica, E.M., Querol, X. et al. Analysis of predictors related to soil contamination in recreational areas of Romania. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 18885–18893 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5064-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5064-8

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