Pollution with Heavy Metals and Metalloids and Ecological Status of Soils in Severobaikal'sk

The content and spatial distribution of 15 heavy metals and metalloids (HMMs) in the upper soil layer (0-10-cm) were determined by data of the geochemical survey in the city of Severobaikal'sk (Republic of Buryatia) in the summer of 2018. The priority pollutants of the topsoil in Severobaikal'sk are Sb, Pb, and W. Soils of the transport, industrial, and single-story residential zones are most strongly polluted. The intensive accumulation is typical for Sb, Pb, and Cu in the first two zones and for Sb, W, Pb, Cd, and Zn in the single-story residential zone. Three associations of HMMs-V-Cr-Co-Ni-Mn; Zn-Cd-Pb; and Sn-Sb-Mo-are inputted from the same sources, and their distribution in the soil cover of the city is similar. The accumulation of HMMs in the upper layer of urban soils is controlled by the content of Fe oxides, C-org, pH, and the type of land use, which determines the sources and level of anthropogenic impact on soils. The technogenic impact causes a change in the properties of urban soils, which enhances their ability to fix HMMs. There is no environmental hazard of soil pollution with HMMs for the city, but soils with low and moderately hazardous pollution levels occupy a third of the area of the single-story residential and industrial zones. Formation of several contrasting multielemental anomalies in soils on the bank of the Tyya River and near Lake Baikal is a danger for their waters due to the possibility of the inflow of toxic metals with surface and subsurface runoff.