Abstract
Scientific research in Antarctica has increased in recent years, mainly in areas such as Microbiology, Biology and Oceanography. There are few reports about the levels of inorganic contaminants and the anthropic impact related to them in the ecosystem. Being a practically virgin territory, it is of particular interest to carry out this evaluation. In this work, for the first time and as a first approximation to the approach of the subject, six water samples and six soil samples obtained in six sampling points near the Uruguayan base in Antarctica were analyzed. The elements determined for both matrices were: chromium, nickel, cobalt, arsenic, strontium, cadmium, mercury, lead, uranium. In water, thorium, tin and antimony were also determined. The preparation of soil/sediment samples was carried out by means of an assisted treatment with microwave radiation; the water samples were analyzed directly. The analytical determinations were carried out by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The majority of the elements are within the limits established by some environmental regulation agencies such as the Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines-CCME or the United States Environmental Protection Agency-USEPA, being striking strontium content in waters.
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