Preliminary study of heavy metal pollution in the floodplain sediments of the Lubusz Oder Gap

Floodplains are places of accumulation and secondary release of metals. The polluted water sediments which are stable during normal river flows can erode in the times of floodings and high water stages. In such periods, the pollution of the bad sediments, river waters and the floodplains increases. In environmental research, determining the total metal content does not provide information about their mobility or availability. The toxic effects depend on their chemical form. In this paper, single extraction procedures have been used to determine the forms of easily available metals. Three types of extractants have been used: neutral salt solution (0.01M calcium chloride), mineral acid solution (0.1M chydrochloric acid) and complexing reagents (0.02M ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and 0.005M deiethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)), to determine the extraction effectiveness. The study presents the results of preliminary research of pollution with selected metals (cadmium, chrome, copper, nickel, lead, zinc, iron and manganese) of the Middle Odra Valley. Higher total concentraions of metals were found in the areas currently flooded by the Oder River