Industrial Contamination of Soil Related to Some Active and Closed Mine Facilities in the Republic of Macedonia

Several industrial pollution sources at the territory of the Republic of Macedonia, were studied, one Pb-Zn mine with mi¬ll, one copper mine with mill and copper leaching facility, as well as one former Pb-Zn smelting facility near the city of Veles and one Fe-Ni smelting facility near the city of Kavadarci. The concentrations of heavy metals at Veles hot-spot were in the range: 20÷1823 mg kg-1Pb, 29÷2395 mg kg-1Zn, 28÷65 mgkg-1Cd, 27÷82 mg kg-1 Cu, 39÷164 mg kg-1Ni, 508÷938 mgkg-1Mn and 1.6÷3.8% Fe, all of them being above Dutch standard optimal values. The vicinity of the Feni plant displayed concentrations of heavy metals as follows: 16÷31 mg kg-1 Pb, 117÷286 mgkg-1 Zn, 13÷24 mg kg-1Co, 42÷119 mg kg-1 Cu, 158÷292 mg kg-1Ni, 119÷236 mg kg-1 Cr and 2.24÷3.79% Fe. Ai¬rborne dust measurements around the Zletovo mine di¬s¬played multiplexed above sta¬n¬d¬ard values, with an exception of nickel, there enrichment factors ranged from mediate ones such were those for copper of 20.8, cadmium of 28.7, arsenic of 32.5 up to high ones for zinc with 341.7 and lead 925. Soil samples around the Zletovo mine displayed: 19.3-76.9 g kg-1 Fe, 643-28000 mg kg-1 Mn, 42.3-529.66 mg kg-1 Pb and 138-3240 mg kg-1 Zn. Finally around the Bucim copper mine the results displayed the following fi¬¬ndings: 13.1÷225 mg kg-1 As, 0.67÷17.9 mg kg-1 Cd, 30.1÷171 mg kg-1 Cr, 17.8÷1734 mg kg-1 Cu, 9.8÷69.4 mg kg-1 Ni, 46÷3456 mg kg-1 Pb, 88÷3438 mg kg-1 Zn, 169÷998 mg kg-1 Mn, 0.73÷5.02% Fe