The pollution history of the mining region of NW-Romania, a multidisciplinary project

During the last three millennia the mining regions of northwestern Romania (Maramure?, Apuseni) exposed the processes of cultural landscape from the first openings to the intensive mining exploitation and pollution during the last centuries. In a joint research project colleagues of the universities of Wiirzburg and Cluj (Romania) and the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BFG) of Koblenz evaluate the natural (river sediments, peat bogs) and historical archives in order to establish a history of cultural landscape and pollution. Gcomcdical aspects also take a great part of these investigations. The first results evidenced the good resolution and information contcnt of the archives and a regional differentiated mosaic of heavy metal contamination. This also reveals long distance effects of heavy metal pollution and the actual risks for the drinking water supply of the regional population, as well as for the whole Tisa river system. The present health situation of the Maramure§ population underlines these risks by the elevated incidences of professional diseases