Estimation of the Soil Toxicity Level in the Areas of Anthropogenic Mineral Deposits by Means of Quantitative Parameters and Biotesting

Abstract

The level of soil pollution in the areas of manganese slug dumps from ferroalloy production has been estimated on the basis of heavy metal content of soils and response of test plants. The concentrations of heavy metals in soils have been determined, the corresponding hazard factors have been calculated, and the toxicity level of soils has been assessed. Such studies make it possible to simultaneously judge the amount of toxicants (namely heavy metals) in soils and evaluate the level of soil toxicity by the response of biological species used in biotesting.