TRENDS OF SOIL CONTAMINATION WITH HEAVY METALS AND OIL PRODUCTS IN THE CITIES OF BELARUS

Abstract

The results of the analysis of the current state and dynamics of concentrations of heavy metals and oil products in the soils of Belarusian cities for the period from 1990–1995 to 2016–2021 are presented. It is based on the soil monitoring data in the cities of Belarus within the framework of the National Environmental Monitoring System in the Republic of Belarus and the results of a detailed soil-geochemical survey of the city of Minsk, carried out by the authors in 1990. The dynamics of the content of chemicals in the soils of cities was assessed by comparing the average
 concentrations for individual cities over the period under review and with comparison of the concentrations of chemicals in soil samples taken at the same sampling sites in the city of Minsk over a nearly 30-year period. It has been established that for most cities there is a tendency to accumulate zinc and oil products in the soil cover. There is a decrease in the content of lead in the soil in 46 % of cities and an increase in its concentration in 19 % of cities are observed. Similar to lead dynamic is typical for copper content in urban soils. It is shown that the annual average increase in the content of zinc in the soils of Minsk is 0.57 mg/kg per year, while the annual average decrease in the content of lead is 0.22 mg/kg per year.