An overview of some localities in Slovenia that became polluted due to past mining and metallurgic activities

Abstract

Mining in Slovenia started as far back as the Bronze Age. Since then, mining has been present in this region with only a few interruptions and has left many consequences. The results of research conducted by the Geological Survey of Slovenia in areas of former mining and metallurgic activities were analysed, and areas in which the allowed concentrations of 10 officially considered heavy metals were exceeded (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Mo, Pb in Zn) were singled out. The research area comprised 466 km2 around the towns of Celje, Idrija, Jesenice and Mežica. The results have shown that the concentrations of the considered heavy metals didn’t exceed the officially allowed concentrations in only 7 % of the research area. The concentrations of heavy metals in soils exceed the official limit concentration in 18 %, warning concentration in 59 %, and critical concentration in 16 % (76 km2) of the research area. We have established that, in Slovenia, mining and ore Processing represents one of the major modes for anthropogenic input of heavy metals into the environment.