Kurilenko, V., Osmolovskaya, N.
Heavy metal pollution of Kotlin Island in the Gulf of
Finland
Abstract. The current environmental state of Kotlin Island
and coastal areas reflects the negative impact of industry, transport and urban
utilities that has lead to increased heavy metal content in soils, in
terrestrial and aquatic vegetation and in the water of the Gulf of Finland.
Based on the analysis of pollutant metals in roots and shoots of native plants
grown on Kotlin Island, species with high metal-accumulating capacity have been
identified. Of these, there were dandelion and coltsfoot demonstrating high
mobility in heavy metals, especially Zn, upward transfer. These could therefore
be promising as bioindicators and phytoremediators of polluted areas pointing
to origins of contamination. The presence of heavy metal contamination in the
coastal waters of the gulf and its variability along the coastline is regarded
as dependent on multiple sources of pollution associated with Kotlin Island,
namely industrial and municipal waste waters, ship and vehicle traffic, aerosol
deposits, contamination by dredging activity in a new port as well as the
result of metals leaching from the soils of the island (Zn, Cu, Ni).
Metal-accumulating coastal plants such as cane can be a source of secondary
pollution of the gulf waters during their seasonal decomposition. The data
showed significantly elevated concentrations of Ni, Zn and Cd in the hair of
children living in the town of Kronstadt located on Kotlin Island that confirms
the adequacy of the proposed indicating methodology and shows the unfavourable
environmental situation in the region.