| Abstract: | Background Aims. Pollution of sediment and soil by heavy metals is still an environmental problem. In order to assess the actual environmental
risk, the mobile and biologically available content of heavy metals needs to be determined rather than the total content.
This requires an analytical strategy preserving the actual binding forms of the heavy metals. Sampling and sample preparation
are usually carried out in the presence of oxygen. As a consequence, oxidation of the metal and/or its binding partners is
possible under these conditions, changing the original binding character. Therefore, sampling and sample preparation must
be performed under inert conditions. The influence of atmospheric oxygen on the heavy metal mobility in sediment and soil
for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn is shown for samples of different origin. By means of a case study, an alternative
for the extensive inert sampling and sample preparation is given; also, a mobility correction factor for the heavy metals
mentioned is determined. |
