Abstract
Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) (WFD) sets out a series of legal measures at European level against surface waters chemical pollution. The EU-list, annex of the WFD, contains those substances that present a significant risk to human health via aquatic environment, known as priority substances. In the last ten years, the Danube water quality has improved significantly. Instead, heavy metals concentrations in the tributaries waters sometimes were found to be rather highest and the chemical status is not in-line with the WFD requirements. Therefore, the Danube River Basin (DRB) waters quality showed a significant variability in terms of priority substances due to the diverse human activities, especially mining activities. This research paper aims to assess the chemical status of the DRB waters located on Romania territory regarding six heavy metals: Pb, Cd, Ni, Cr, Cu, and Zn by analysing water and sediment samples collected from different areas (south-west and north-west of Romania). Based on the obtained results by evaluating the quality elements, the water chemical status of DRB achieved a good chemical status for 74% of water samples and 55% of sediment samples. Also, the basic statistic and multivariate analysis were used to explore the relationship between the concentration values obtained for priority substances to underlying the water quality assessment.
Highlights
IntroductionThe Danube River Basin (DRB) waters quality showed a significant variability in terms of priority substances due to the diverse human activities, especially mining activities
ANA MARIA ANGHEL*, GYORGY DEAK, PETRA IONESCU, CRISTINA CIMPOERU, IRINA CIOBOTARU, ECATERINA MARCU, BOGDAN URITESCU, LUCIAN LUMINAROIU, BIANCA PETCULESCU, VIOLETA MONICA RADU, GABRIEL BADEA National Institute for Research and Development in Environmental Protection - INCDPM, 294 Splaiul Independenei, 060031, Bucharest, Romania
This research paper aims to assess the chemical status of the Danube River Basin (DRB) waters located on Romania territory regarding six heavy metals: Pb, Cd, Ni, Cr, Cu, and Zn by analysing water and sediment samples collected from different areas
Summary
The Danube River Basin (DRB) waters quality showed a significant variability in terms of priority substances due to the diverse human activities, especially mining activities. The human activities play a vital role in order to protect the aquatic environment, first of all, by respecting the water politics, often known as hydropolitics. Nickel concentrations in the whole Danube River did not go over the target limit during 1996 -2000 [17] In this context and because the Danube is an important transportation corridor for Europe, this paper deals with chemical status assessment of the DRB waters located on Romanian territory in terms of priority substances -heavy metals (HM)
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