ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CONTENT OF HEAVY METALS IN SOIL AND DUST IN COPŞA MICĂ
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Babeş-Bolyai University / Cluj University Press
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The town of Copşa Mică is polluted with heavy metals due to the metallurgical plant that operated there. Even if the activities of the plant were drastically reduced and depollution equipment was installed, there were high levels of heavy metals in the soil, with long remanence. The major human exposure pathways of heavy metals in the soil are by ingestion of soil particles, by ingestion of home-produced vegetables and by inhalation of dust. This research investigated the levels of heavy metals in the soil, in outdoor and indoor dust, and the relationship between them. The statistical analysis through simple linear regression and correlation showed a statistically significant relationship between the level of heavy metals in the soil (independent variable) and the level of heavy metals in outdoor dust (dependent variable). For Pb and Zn, the linear regression model showed that in areas where high levels of heavy metals are recorded in the soil, high levels of heavy metals are expected in the outdoor dust. Distribution maps of heavy metals in soil and dust also highlight this relationship.