Radiomonitoring of the Opole industrial district

Abstract

The metallurgic industry is one of the main sources of environmental pollution. It emits dust, which contains manganese oxides, iron oxides, zinc and lead oxides that could be deposited in soil. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of the local metallurgical industry on soil contamination with metals released during processing using Pb-210 as a contamination tracer. Soil samples were collected from 19 sites located around the Opole industrial zone, in which, for example, welding and galvanizing companies operate. In the studies, various types of sampling sites were taken into account, such as the forests, meadows, fields and allotment gardens. The activity measurements of Bi-214, Pb-214, Cs-137 and Pb-210 were performed, using a gamma spectrometer. Applying the properties of the latter isotope, the local level of soil contamination was estimated. The results indicated that the metallurgical industry is not a source of environmental pollution in the immediate vicinity. The excessive lead concentrations ranged from 1 Bq/kg d.m. to 100 Bq/kg d.m. and were not strongly correlated with the distances from the presumed source of contamination.