Ecological assessment of soil areas in the industrial region of the Moscow–Oka ecological economic zone

Abstract

The total content and content of mobile forms of potential soil pollutants (Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Sr, F, S) are determined in the topsoil in the impact zone of a cement plant and phosphorus fertilizer factory. The total concentration of Cd (4.0 mg/kg), Pb (99.4 mg/kg), F (15.2 mg/kg), and S (479.6 mg/kg) is found to exceed the established maximum permissible concentrations (MPC, APC). The local concentration maximum of the major pollutants is observed at a distance of 0.5 and 1.0 km away from a phosphogypsum stack. Comparing sampling plots equidistant from the pollution source reveals that alluvial soils have accumulated 1.5–2 times more total forms of Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, S than agrosod podzolic soils.

The stability of the microbial community can be characterized as resistant to the existing anthropogenic pollution. No potential attributes of microbial degradation are identified in the areas where the concentrations of soil pollutants exceed the background level.