HUMAN EXPOSURE AT TRACE METALS FROM MINING ACTIVITIES-CASE STUDY: ZLATNA, ROMANIA

In Romania, soil pollution is one of the key problems for some towns and is extended to many areas that urgently require appropriate remediation measures to restore their initial ecological characteristics. Among the most affected towns is Zlatna area where, until its closure in 2004, the non-ferrous metal ore smelter has caused great damages to the environment due to emissions of dust with a very high content of heavy metals. In the studied area, the soil is used for gardening, agriculture and pasture, generating a highly risk of transfer of contaminants from soils into the food chain. The extension of the contamination, before and after mining activities were stopped, makes difficult to prioritize the areas which must be remediated and strongly requires studies to assess the transfer of contaminants from soils to receptors. The aim of this paper is to set the basis of risk assessment procedures, where starting from a source (pseudo-total content of metal in soil) the pathways are estimated in order to provide the quantity of contaminants (Pb, Cd) that reach the receptors. Lead and cadmium highly exceed the intervention limits set by the Romanian legislation, Therefore, the pseudo-total concentrations have been determined in order to evaluate the exposure calculating daily intake doses for human body in the impacted area.