Open AccessEcological risk assessment for land contaminated by petrochemical industry
Author(s) -
Barbara Gworek,
Aneta H. Baczewska-Dąbrowska,
R. Kalinowski,
Ewa Górska,
Hanna Rekosz-Burlaga,
Dariusz Gozdowski,
Izabella Olejniczak,
Magdalena Graniewska,
Wojciech Dmuchowski
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0204852
Subject(s) - environmental science , contamination , btex , ecosystem , contaminated land , petrochemical , soil contamination , biodiversity , risk assessment , environmental chemistry , environmental protection , ecology , environmental remediation , environmental engineering , biology , chemistry , ethylbenzene , biochemistry , computer security , computer science , catalysis
Contamination with harmful chemical substances, including organic compounds of the BTEX and PAH groups, constitutes one of the major threats to the functioning of soil habitat. Excessive contents of the above substances can exert adverse effects on soil organisms, reduce biodiversity, and thus deteriorate soil quality. The threat to soil ecosystems within areas particularly exposed to contamination with accumulating chemical compounds was assessed using the Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) with a multi-stage Triad (triage rapid initial assessment) procedure (taking into account the different lines of evidence). The article presents the results of chemical and ecotoxicological study of soils sampled at sites affected by contamination from petrochemical industry. The study results provided foundations for developing the site specific ERA framework for the area examined.