Vegetation on Contaminated Sites near an Hg Mine
and Smelter
v. BANASOVA
1
Introduction
Former mercury mines and smelter are situated in Rudnany (east Slovakia).
Mine spoil heaps are composed of the stones which had no value for
processing in the past. However, the soil which developed there contains higher
amounts of Hg. The main pollution source of Hg contamination was a smelter
plant complex situated at the mouth of the Rudnianska dolina valley. According
to Bobro (1989) and Bobro et al. (1992), compounds of S, Hg, Cu, Sb, Bi, As, Mn,
Zn, Pb and Fe were emitted.
The vegetation polluted by mercury was studied by many authors. The
majority of these focused on mercury accumulation in the plants. Fungi and
lichens (Lodenius 1979), water plants (Lodenius 1980) and other plants (e.g.
Weaver et al. 1984; Koski et al. 1988) were the objects of such studies.
The first data on vegetation structure in the surroundings of the old smelter
complex situated on the Rudnany village margins were published by Hajduk
(1961). Pisut (1962) published a bioindicator study based on lichens from these
sites. The same author (Pisut 1984) published a comparative study of these places
after 20 years. He noticed that in the surroundings of the smelter no epiphytic
lichens occurred. The paper by Hauskrecht and Hajduk (1966) also includes
mercury levels in the plants of Allium montanum, whose population size
increased considerably, for a short time, in the smelter surroundings. These
papers deal with the situation in the surroundings of the old smelter complex on
the Rudnany village margins, which was still operating until the 1970S.
Subsequently, a new smelter was built outside Rudnany. Kaleta (1982) observed
the vegetation changes in its surroundings after 10 years. Mankovska (1984)
presented mercury levels recorded in soils and spruce needles. The impact of
emissions from the smelter on the population of Coronilla varia were studied by
Banasova and Holub (1993). Mercury concentrations in different plant species
were presented by Banasova et al. (1993) and Banasova and Holub (1994), and
lichens by Lackovicova et al. (1994).
The aim of this chapter is the evaluation of:
• Contamination of soils and plants by Hg, Cu, S.
• Characteristics of the vegetation on Hg mine spoil heaps.
• Influence of an Hg smelter on plant populations and plant communities.
Environmental Science
Mercury Contaminated Sites (ed. by R. Ebinghaus et al.)
~) Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1999
and Smelter
v. BANASOVA
1
Introduction
Former mercury mines and smelter are situated in Rudnany (east Slovakia).
Mine spoil heaps are composed of the stones which had no value for
processing in the past. However, the soil which developed there contains higher
amounts of Hg. The main pollution source of Hg contamination was a smelter
plant complex situated at the mouth of the Rudnianska dolina valley. According
to Bobro (1989) and Bobro et al. (1992), compounds of S, Hg, Cu, Sb, Bi, As, Mn,
Zn, Pb and Fe were emitted.
The vegetation polluted by mercury was studied by many authors. The
majority of these focused on mercury accumulation in the plants. Fungi and
lichens (Lodenius 1979), water plants (Lodenius 1980) and other plants (e.g.
Weaver et al. 1984; Koski et al. 1988) were the objects of such studies.
The first data on vegetation structure in the surroundings of the old smelter
complex situated on the Rudnany village margins were published by Hajduk
(1961). Pisut (1962) published a bioindicator study based on lichens from these
sites. The same author (Pisut 1984) published a comparative study of these places
after 20 years. He noticed that in the surroundings of the smelter no epiphytic
lichens occurred. The paper by Hauskrecht and Hajduk (1966) also includes
mercury levels in the plants of Allium montanum, whose population size
increased considerably, for a short time, in the smelter surroundings. These
papers deal with the situation in the surroundings of the old smelter complex on
the Rudnany village margins, which was still operating until the 1970S.
Subsequently, a new smelter was built outside Rudnany. Kaleta (1982) observed
the vegetation changes in its surroundings after 10 years. Mankovska (1984)
presented mercury levels recorded in soils and spruce needles. The impact of
emissions from the smelter on the population of Coronilla varia were studied by
Banasova and Holub (1993). Mercury concentrations in different plant species
were presented by Banasova et al. (1993) and Banasova and Holub (1994), and
lichens by Lackovicova et al. (1994).
The aim of this chapter is the evaluation of:
• Contamination of soils and plants by Hg, Cu, S.
• Characteristics of the vegetation on Hg mine spoil heaps.
• Influence of an Hg smelter on plant populations and plant communities.
Environmental Science
Mercury Contaminated Sites (ed. by R. Ebinghaus et al.)
~) Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1999