Total soil heavy‐metal concentrations and mobile fractions after 10 years of biowaste‐compost fertilization

The accumulation of heavy metals (HMs) in soils is the most often cited potential risk of compost application. As the ecological effects of metals are related to mobile fractions rather than to total concentrations in the soil, we measured the total (aqua regia–extractable) HM concentrations, the readily available water‐soluble and the potentially bioavailable LiCl‐extractable fraction of soil HMs in a field experiment after 10 y with total applications of 95, 175, and 255 t ha^–1 biowaste compost (fresh matter). Total soil concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb in the compost treatments were not significantly higher than in the unfertilized control. Total Zn concentrations increased in the treatment with the highest application rate, as expected from the calculation of the Zn load in the composts. In the mobile fractions, as measured in soil saturation extract and LiCl extract, Cd and Pb were not detectable. Concentrations of Cr, Ni, and Zn were in the range published for unpolluted soils in other studies and did not show any differences according to treatment. Easily exchangeable Cu (in LiCl extract) was increased with compost fertilization, most probably due to complexation with low‐molecular organic complexants. Except for Cd and Zn, the results of the mobile HM fractions in the soil were in good agreement with plant HM concentrations. In conclusion, fertilization with high‐quality biowaste compost at such rates and after 10 y of application gives no cause for concern with regard to both total HM concentrations and available HM fractions.     

Soil contamination in the zone affected by waste products of Tin Ore Processing in the Khabarovsk region

The degree of soil contamination in the impact zone of the Solnechnyi Tin Ore Processing Plant in the Solnechnyi district of the Khabarovsk region was evaluated. It was shown that the air contamination by the waste products of the ore-processing plant is extremely high with respect to the concentrations of toxic dust and heavy metals. The maximum concentrations of these contaminants exceed the background values by 16–80 times. The bulk contents of Pb, Zn, Cu, As, and Hg in the upper soil horizons within the impact zone exceeded the maximum permissible concentrations and the background values by 2–90 times. Abnormally high concentrations of Zn, As, and Pb were observed not only in the surface 10–cm-thick soil layer but also in the underlying (10–20 cm) horizon. The soil contamination transformed the geochemical sequence of heavy metals typical of the background soils (Zn > Pb > As > Cu > Hg) into a new sequence (As > Pb > Cu > Zn > Hg). The statistical data proved that the intensity of the migration of the heavy metals in the soils decreases with a rise in the soil humus content and a drop in the soil acidity. This should be taken into account in the elaboration of soil-protective measures in the investigated region.     

不同高粱种质对污染土壤中重金属吸收的研究

利用重金属含量较高的污水污染土壤,以未污染土壤作对照,种植8个甜高粱品种、2个饲用高粱品种和1个粒用高粱品种,检测8种重金属在高粱植物体内不同器官的含量,以研究不同高粱种质对重金属的吸收特性。结果表明:甜高粱对汞(Hg)、镉(Cd)、锰(Mn)和锌(Zn)的吸收在两种土壤间差异显著,对钴(Co)、铬(Cr)、铅(Pb)和铜(Cu)的吸收差异不显著。Mn在甜高粱体内含量表现为未污染土壤高于污染土壤;而Zn含量在不同器官之间存在差异,未污染土壤叶中含量远高于穗,穗中含量远高于茎和根。不同重金属在甜高粱体内的储存部位不同,污染土壤上Hg、Cd、Co、Cr和Zn在根中积累量较高,Cu、Mn和Pb在穗中的积累量较高。甜高粱、饲用高粱和粒用高粱对重金属的吸收、运输及储存在品种之间差异较大,同一品种对不同重金属的吸收也存在差异。饲用高粱表现为叶部对Cr和Zn的储存量较高,而粒用高粱‘晋中0823’则显示了茎对多种重金属的储存能力。高粱根对土壤中重金属的富集系数较高,为0.02(Pb)~0.23(Cd),转移系数变幅为0.21(Co)~3.42(Pb)。对同一种重金属的吸收量品种间差异较大,甜高粱‘西蒙’根对Co、Cr、Cu、Mn、Pb和Zn具有高富集系数,粒用高粱‘晋中0823’茎对Hg、Cd、Mn、Pb和Zn富集系数较高。高粱对重金属的吸收能力与转移能力不同步,甜高粱‘绿能1号’具有对多种重金属的高转移能力,粒用高粱‘晋中0823’只对Zn有较高的转移能力。因此本文认为甜高粱对不同重金属的吸收和转移有选择性。对Zn吸收并转移到地上部后,首先储存在叶和穗中,当吸收量足够大时,茎和根也成为储存器官;对Mn的吸收与其他重金属的吸收存在竞争作用,Hg吸收后很少向地上部转移;而对Cu、Mn和Pb吸收后在穗部的储存量较大。饲用高粱与甜高粱相比对重金属的吸收未显示明显的不同,甜高粱‘西蒙’根对多种重金属具有强储存能力,而粒用高粱‘晋中0823’的茎秆显示了比甜高粱更强的储存能力,甜高粱‘绿能1号’对多种重金属的转移能力较强。所以,选择富集和转移能力均强的高粱品种能更有效地吸收土壤中的重金属,达到修复污染土壤的目的。     

Self-purification of agrosoddy-podzolic sandy loamy soils fertilized with sewage sludge

Sandy loamy agrosoddy-podzolic soils and plants growing on them were studied. The soils had been treated with sewage sludge from the Lyubertsy aeration station applied as organic fertilizer for 5–10 years before 1990. Initially, these soils were used for cultivating vegetables and fodder crops. The content and mobility of heavy metal compounds increased in the plow horizons of studied soils under the influence of sewage sludge. The concentrations of Cd and Zn exceeded the tentative permissible concentrations (TPC) for these elements by 8–16 and 2–4 times, respectively. The contaminated layer was found at the depths within 30–50 cm, which attests to a low migration rate of heavy metals added to the studied soils with sewage sludge (SS) 25 years ago. The concentration of Cd exceeded the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) of this element in all vegetable and fodder crops cultivated on the studied soils. The content of heavy metals in plants differed by three–five times in dependence on the capacity of particular plants to accumulate them. The period of soil self-purification from heavy metals was found to depend on the soil contamination level and element mobility, as well as on the element removal with harvested crops and with soil water flows. The maximal time of achieving the normal level of Cd concentration was estimated as 288 years for maximally contaminated soils; the corresponding values for Cu and Zn were estimated as 74 and 64 years, respectively.     

Soils of the Summer Garden (Saint Petersburg)

Soils of the Summer Garden—the first regular (French-style) garden in Russia—are characterized on the basis of the materials of field study performed during reconstruction of the garden in 2005–2011. Most of these soils are filled soils—urbostratozems—underlain by the loamy sands deposited in the Littorina Sea or by the buried gray-humus gleyic and gleyed soils. Urbostratozems are characterized by the slightly acid reaction in the topsoil horizons and slightly alkaline reaction in the middle-profile and lower horizons. The humus content in them varies from 0.2 to 6.8%; in the buried gray-humus soils, it is within 1.3–2.6%. The soils of the garden are characterized by the high and extremely high content of available phosphorus and the predominantly low content of available potassium as determined by Machigin’s method. The bulk content of Pb in the surface soil horizons during the period of our study exceeded the maximum permissible concentration by 3–20 times; the bulk contents of Cu and Zn exceeded the tentative permissible concentrations for coarse-textured soils by 2–6 and 4–20 times, respectively. The main sources of the soil contamination by the heavy metals are the nearby highways. Local contaminated area was also found near the household yard.     

Fractional and group composition of zinc and lead compounds as an indicator of the environmental status of soils

An ordinary chernozem artificially contaminated with Zn and Pb salts and reclaimed by the addition of chalk and glauconite under pot experimental conditions has been analyzed. The fractional and group composition of the metal compounds in the soil extracts have been determined according to an original combined fractionation procedure. Coefficients characterizing the changes in the environmental status of the metals under the reclamation conditions have been proposed for describing the formation tendencies of the metal composition in the soils. These are the mobility coefficients (MCs) of the heavy metals (HMs) in the soils and the stability coefficients (SCs) of the soils for the HMs. They are calculated from the analysis of the fractional and group composition of the metal compounds. The MC characterizes the environmental vulnerability of soils to the impact of HMs; the SC characterizes the environmental sustainability of soils concerning the contamination with HMs. The obtained experimental data characterize the behavior features of Zn and Pb in the studied soils. An increase in the environmental hazard has been revealed at the contamination of soils with HMs, as well as its decrease at the application of the tested ameliorants. The participation of both strongly and loosely fixed HM fractions in the development of the HM mobility in the soils and the sustainability of the soils to their impact has been shown.     

Natural and technogenic compounds of heavy metals in soils

The existing geological classification of heavy metals (HMs) is not suitable for their characterization in soils. The carriers of HMs in soils differ from those in the lithosphere. These are clay minerals; iron oxides, whose composition varies between the background and urban soils; various manganese oxides; and different groups of organic substances. The mineral composition of HM carriers can vary significantly. The main iron oxides are ferrihydrite, goethite, feroxyhyte, and lepidocrocite in the background soils and technogenic magnetite in the urban soils. The different structures of manganese oxides determine their affinity for specific HMs. Metallic iron and green rust are very efficient in artificial geochemical barriers, although they act as strong reducers there. HM compounds strongly vary in soils because of the unstable conditions.     

Changes in the biological activity of heavy metal- and oil-polluted soils in urban recreation territories

Urban recreation areas of different sizes were investigated in the city of Vladimir. The degree of their contamination with heavy metals and oil products was revealed. The content of heavy metals exceeded their maximum permissible concentrations by more than 2.5 times. The total content of heavy metals decreased in the sequence: Zn > Pb > Co > Mn > Cr > Ni. The mass fraction of oil products in the studied soils varied within the range of 0.016–0.28 mg/g. The reaction of soils in public gardens and a boulevard was neutral or close to neutral; in some soil samples, it was weakly alkaline. The top layer of all the soils significantly differed from the lower one by the higher alkalinity promoting the deposition of heavy metals there. As the content of Ni, Co, and Mn increased and exceeded the background concentrations, but did not reach the three-fold value of the maximum permissible concentrations, the activity of catalase was intensified. The stimulating effect of nickel on the catalase activity was mostly pronounced at the neutral soil reaction. The urease activity increased when heavy metals and oil products were present together in the concentrations above the background ones, but not higher than the three-fold maximal permissible concentrations for heavy metals and 0.3 mg/g for the content of oil products. The nitrifying activity was inhibited by oil hydrocarbons that were recorded in the soils in different amounts.     

Assessment and regulation of the ecological state of soils in the impact zone of mining and metallurgical enterprises of Norilsk Nickel Company

An assessment of the ecological state of soils has been performed in the area of mining and metallurgical enterprises of Norilsk Nickel Company with respect to the level of soil contamination by heavy metals, the state of the vegetation, and the biological activity of the soils. The territory within 4 km from Norilsk is characterized by high concentrations of heavy metals, the absence of trees, and the disturbance of the organic matter mineralization. This zone corresponds to level 5 of the loss of environmental quality. At distances of 4–16 km from the city, the state of the environment corresponds to level 4, and, at distances of 16–25 km, to level 3. In the latter zone, the soils are characterized by increased concentrations of acid-soluble and mobile metal compounds, though the concentrations of water-soluble metal compounds do not exceed the maximum permissible levels; the soil microbiological activity is normalized. The state of the environment at a distance of 25 km from Norilsk is close to level 2. Soil contamination with heavy metals is accompanied by a rise in the portion of Cu, Ni, and Co compounds bound with amorphous iron oxides and hydroxides, as well as in the portion of their mobile forms.     

Spatial patterns and temporal changes of heavy metal distributions in river sediments in a region with multiple pollution sources

Purpose

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate temporal and regional variability of contamination by heavy metals (HMs) in river sediments using their enrichment factors (EFs) and benchmarking according to sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). The Zlin region in the Czech Republic (Morava and Drevnice River basins) represents a model area where several regionally specific ecological risk assessment studies have recently been conducted with a focus on organic pollution, eco-toxicity, geological, and geochemical characteristics.

Materials and methods

Four consecutive sediment sampling campaigns were undertaken in spring and autumn 2005–2006. Aqua-regia leachable content of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, V, and Zn in surface sediments from 14 sites was analyzed using ICP-MS, and Hg content was analyzed using AMA-254 analyzer. EFs were calculated to identify the human impact on pollution in the area. Comparisons to SGQs were conducted to identify the areas and HMs of greatest risk.

Results and discussion

Calculation of EFs contributed to the effective clustering of HMs. Median EFs of Co, Ni, and V ranged from 0.9 to 1.4 at all sites indicating concentrations very close to natural geological background levels. There was greater enrichment at locally polluted sites, the highest in the cases of Cd, Sb, Hg, and Cr. Widespread influence of diffuse HM sources (traffic, agriculture, and urban wastes) was apparent from elevated concentrations of Pb, Cu, and Zn at all sites. EF values also helped to identify the greatest temporal changes and shifts in HMs contamination between adjacent sites caused by 50-year recurrence interval floods in early spring 2006. The impact was most apparent in downstream sites; namely directly below the confluence of the two major rivers.

Conclusions

The overall contamination of HMs in the region was classified as low-to-moderate with significantly contaminated sub-areas. The study showed relatively stable spatial distributions of HMs, indicating potential sources of pollution. Cu was identified as the HM of greatest risk. The study emphasizes the necessity of considering both environmental circumstances and background HM occurrence to prevent misinterpretation of the pollution situation. The use of EFs which include grain size proxy normalization and HM background levels, along with the comparison of the detected concentrations to SQGs, proved an efficient way to identify hazardous contamination from anthropogenic sources.     

Temporal variation of total and DTPA-extractable heavy metal contents as influenced by sewage sludge and perlite in a calcareous soil

Continuous application of sewage sludge (SS) as a source of organic matter, may increase available heavy metals (HMs) up to their critical levels. As a consequence their uptake by plants, risks of accumulation in food chain and groundwater pollution increases. To evaluate the effects of perlite and SS on total content and available fraction of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) over 45 and 90 days a completely randomized pot experiment was conducted. Treatments consisted of SS (0, 2 and 4%) and combined SS and perlite levels (1:1, 1.5:0.5 and 0.5:1.5% SS:perlite). Mean available Fe, Ni, Cd, Mn and Zn fractions decreased over time by 7–27%, whereas, total contents did not change. Available HMs in SS-treated soils increased by 0.5–25%; whereas, only total Zn, Cu and Pb concentrations increased with SS application (although concentrations fall in the range of critical levels). The lowest (1.6 fold) and highest (22.1 fold) increases obtained for available Cu and Zn, respectively. Perlite could mitigate the adverse effect of high rate application of SS on amplification of HMs extractability. Therefore, their concomitant applications can be suggested considering the perlite durability and its positive effects on soil physical properties.     

Spatial distribution and source apportionment of the heavy metals in the agricultural soil in a regional scale

Purpose

Understanding the spatial distribution and sources of soil heavy metals (HMs) in a large city helps prevent and control soil pollution. This study aimed to investigate the spatial patterns of soil HMs and identify their main sources in a regional scale.

Materials and methods

A total of 110 topsoil samples were collected from Tai’an City, China. Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations in each soil sample were determined. Geostatistics, geographic information system (GIS), and positive matrix factorization (PMF) were used to explore the spatial distribution of seven soil HMs and to reveal the main sources of soil HMs in Tai’an City, respectively.

Results and discussion

Soil Cd, Cr, Pb, and Zn generally showed slight pollution levels in the study area. However, soil Hg and Cu contents reached moderate to heavy pollution levels in some areas. Soil Hg content increased from north to south across the city, and the highest Hg concentration was detected in Ningyang County. Soil Cd, Cu, and Zn distributions exhibited a similar pattern, and their contents increased from west to east; the highest Cd, Cu, and Zn concentrations were found in Xintai County. The highest soil Ni concentration was obtained in the northeast of Feicheng and Xintai counties. PMF analysis revealed the following four potential sources of agricultural soil HMs in Tai’an City: industrial and mining activities, agricultural activities, residential living activities, and business activities. Soil Hg mainly originated from residential living activities, which accounted for 75.3% of the total source. The main sources of soil Ni were residential living activities, agricultural activities, and industrial and mining activities, which account for 38.2, 27.50, and 25.1% of the total source, respectively. Soil Cu was mainly produced by agricultural activities (36.6%), followed by residential living activities (29.8%) and industrial and mining activities (25.8%).

Conclusions

PMF combined with GIS could be effectively applied to determine the main sources of HMs in agricultural soils in a regional scale.

     

Actinomycete complexes in soils of industrial and residential zones in the city of Kirov

The number, diversity, and structure of the actinomycetal complexes in the soils of the industrial and residential zones of the city of Kirov are considered. The total content of mobile cadmium, zinc, lead, iron, and nickel in the soils of the industrial biotopes was 1.8 and 6.0 times higher than their concentration in the soils of the residential and background zones, respectively. In the heavy metal (HM)-polluted soils, the share of actinomycetes in the total number of prokaryotes and the relative abundance of the micromono-spores in the actinomycetal complex were much higher and the species diversity of the streptomycetes was lower than these characteristics in the soils of the residential zone. The differences in the composition of the mycelial prokaryote complexes appear to be related to the selective resistance of some of their representatives to heavy metals. The possibility to select the strains resistant to HMs and suitable for use in the bioremediation of polluted soils is considered.     

Predicting the Phytoextraction Duration to Remediate Heavy Metal Contaminated Soils

The applicability of phytoextraction to remediate soils contaminated with heavy metals (HMs) depends on, amongst others, the duration before remediation is completed. The impact of changes in the HM content in soil occurring during remediation on plant uptake has to be considered in order to obtain a reliable estimate of the phytoextraction duration. To simulate the decrease in the HM content in soil and to assess the resulting decrease in the uptake of HMs by plants, contaminated soil was mixed with uncontaminated, but otherwise similar soil. Uptake of Cd, Pb, and Zn by the indicator plant Lupinus hartwegii and the Zn hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens (La Calamine ecotype) was a log-linear function of the in-situ measured HM soil solution concentrations. Over a wide range in dissolved Cd and Zn concentrations, uptake of these HMs by T. caerulescens was (much) greater than by L. hartwegii. Experimentally derived regression models describing the relationships between soil, soil solution, and plant were implemented in a HM mass balance model used to obtain estimates of the phytoextraction duration. For our target soils, estimates of the Cd phytoextraction duration using L. hartwegii or T. caerulescens increased significantly by more than 100 or 50 years when experimental soil—soil solution—plant relationships were used instead of the assumption of constant plant uptake of Cd. The two approaches gave similar results for phytoextraction of Zn by T. caerulescens.     

Mining Impacts on Trace Metal Content of Water,Soil, and Stream Sediments in the Hei River Basin,China

The impacts of mining to watersheds are highly variabledepending on the type of mining, processing of ores, andenvironmental factors. This study examined the Hei River incentral China, for impacts of gold and iron mining onconcentrations of metals in river water, river sediments andstream-channel soils. No production processing of ores occurson-site at either mine. Total metal content and extractablemetals using DTPA were determined. Total concentrations of Cd,Cu, Pb and Zn were high in some stream sediments and soils nearthe mine sites; metal concentrations ranged from 4–24, 11–100,11–380, and 33–1600 μg g^-1 for Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn,respectively, in soil. Total cadmium was high in all soilsand sediments. Extractable metals were low, with the exceptionof Pb and Cu. At the gold mine, extractable Pb ranged from 8 to33%; extractable Cu ranged from 3 to 21% of total metalconcentration. Chromium and Ni were not above typicalconcentrations in either soils or river sediments. An abundance of carbonates, high river water pH, and high water flow rates all appear to contribute to limiting quantities of metals in the river water. If mining activities are not changed, impacts of mining on downstream metal concentrations in river water should be nominal.     

Ecological assessment of soil areas in the industrial region of the Moscow–Oka ecological economic zone

The total content and content of mobile forms of potential soil pollutants (Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Sr, F, S) are determined in the topsoil in the impact zone of a cement plant and phosphorus fertilizer factory. The total concentration of Cd (4.0 mg/kg), Pb (99.4 mg/kg), F (15.2 mg/kg), and S (479.6 mg/kg) is found to exceed the established maximum permissible concentrations (MPC, APC). The local concentration maximum of the major pollutants is observed at a distance of 0.5 and 1.0 km away from a phosphogypsum stack. Comparing sampling plots equidistant from the pollution source reveals that alluvial soils have accumulated 1.5–2 times more total forms of Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, S than agrosod podzolic soils.     

芜湖市工业区土壤重金属污染状况研究

通过对芜湖工业区(四褐山区、马塘区)土壤中重金属污染状况的调查,结果表明:土壤中重金属(Cu、Pb、Zn、Cd)含量绝大部分高于土壤元素背景值。在四褐山工业区,Cu污染最严重,Cd次之;在马塘工业区,Cd污染最严重,Zn次之。土壤中重金属含量基本上与土壤pH呈负相关关系,而重金属总量与可浸提态含量呈正相关关系。土壤中重金属污染来源主要是污水,大气粉尘沉降也是一个重要因素。     

北京城郊污灌土壤-小麦（Triticum aestivum）体系重金属潜在健康风险评价

为探讨城郊污灌土壤-小麦体系中重金属Cu、Cd、Cr、Pb和Zn的迁移富集特征及潜在健康风险,选取北京城郊污灌区24块代表性小麦（Triticumaestivum）样地,运用高分辨电感耦合等离子体质谱仪（HR-ICP-MS）测定了土壤及小麦籽粒中消解态Cu、Cd、Cr、Pb和Zn含量。结果表明,污灌土壤中Cu、Cd、Cr、Pb和Zn的均值含量分别为26.51、0.24、101.29、28.04mg.kg-1和85.59mg.kg-1,高于北京土壤元素背景值,已出现积累现象;小麦籽粒中5种重金属含量顺序为Zn（52.38mg.kg-1）〉Cu（6.09mg.kg-1）〉C（r4.62mg.kg-1）〉Pb（0.17mg.kg-1）〉Cd（0.04mg.kg-1）,其中Cr、Zn含量超出国家标准限值,食品安全需引起关注。在以污灌区小麦粉为主要食源条件下,健康风险评价显示：北京城郊污灌区单一重金属风险系数（HQ）尚未达到显著水平,但是郊区成人和儿童的5种重金属综合健康风险均大于1,4种不同人群的风险系数（HQ）和风险指数（HI）有相同的影响顺序,即郊区儿童〉郊区成人〉城区儿童〉城区成人;5种重金属中,Cr所占风险比例最小,由Cu和Zn所引起的健康风险所占比例最高。表明对北京城郊污灌区小麦籽粒主要消费区域和流通渠道以及由此引发的居民（尤其郊区儿童和成人）重金属健康风险需要予以关注,预防食品安全危害的发生。     

Heavy metal accumulation and mobility in a soil profile depend on the organic waste type applied

Purpose

While organic waste amendments can initially improve soil physicochemical properties, including nutritional benefits to plants and increased microorganism activity, long-term application of excessive amounts of organic wastes can cause accumulation of heavy metals (HMs). Thus, the current study examined the accumulation of HMs in agricultural soil profiles following organic waste application.

Materials and methods

Three common organic sludge, including municipal sewage sludge (MSS), industrial sewage sludge (ISS), and leather sludge (LS), were applied annually to an agricultural soil under field conditions over 7 years (1994–2000) at a rate of 25 and 50 t ha^?1 year^?1. Subsequently, when organic sludge amendments were ceased, the experimental plots were cultivated without any treatments for another 12 years (2001–2012) and the changes in HM concentrations along the soil depth profile were monitored together with soil pH, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and dehydrogenase activity (DHA).

Results and discussion

Significant increases in Cu, Pb, and Zn concentrations were observed down to a depth of 80 cm in soils treated with ISS and LS, where sludge application also increased the levels of Cd, Cr, Pb, and Zn and their movement down the soil profile. However, with the exception of Cu, no significant changes in HM concentrations were observed following treatment with MSS. At a depth of 80 cm, soils which had received 25 and 50 t ha^?1 LS showed, respectively, 4 and 14 times higher Cr levels than the control soil.

Conclusions

Organic sludge induced changes in soil pH and soil DOC concentration which were the key factors influencing HM movement and accumulation following organic sludge treatment.

     

Barrier functions of the soil-plant system

In a field experiment on ordinary chernozem, the content of weakly bound metal compounds increased by 11–14 times upon the contamination of the soil with Pb and Zn salts, which led to a low quality of barley grown on these soils; metal concentrations in the barley grain exceeded the maximum permissible concentrations. Various ameliorants were tested, and a mixture of chalk and manure proved to be the most efficient ameliorant. Characteristics of the barrier function of the soil-plant system in relation to the contaminating metals were studied.