ECOTOXICOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF ANTHROPOGENIC HYDROGEOCHEMICAL ANOMALIES: AN EXAMPLE BEING THE KOLA MINING AND METALLURGICAL COMPLEX

Abstract

Anthropogenic hydrogeochemical anomalies are specified in the Kola region. Their development is related to direct discharges and runoffs of mining and metallurgical activity and the indirect effects of element leaching by acid precipitation. New evidence is presented on the concentrations of Ni, Cu, Sr, Al, Zn, Co, Mn, Pb, Cd, Hg, and As in organs and tissues of fishes. The regularities of the accumulation of elements depending on their contents in water are evaluated. Endemic pathologies of fishes were distinguished. Their etiology is related to the accumulation of metals and disturbances in the microelement systematics of organisms. Ecotoxicological conditions were assessed in the main anthropogenic anomalies of the region: copper-nickel, acidified, and strontium.