Ecological and hygienic assessment of soil pollution of urbocenoses of the Central Chernozem region with priority ecotoxicants

The purpose of the study was an ecological and hygienic assessment of the soils of the urbocenoses of the Central Chernozem region according to the content of the highest priority ecotoxicants. Using the example of the Voronezh region, 13 sites for sampling the upper layers of soils of urbocenoses in the city of Voronezh were selected, as well as 1 protected area as comparison samples. The main toxic elements, as well as natural and man-made radionuclides, were studied in the soils of urbocenoses and protected areas of the city of Voronezh. The content of gross and mobile forms of heavy metals and arsenic was determined by the atomic absorption method. Specific activity of natural and technogenic radionuclides was determined by radiometric spectroscopy. The study of soils for the content of natural and man-made radionuclides in comparison with the world average indicators and average values of specific activities in Russia made it possible to confirm their relative radiological well-being. The limiting indicator of the quality of the studied soils of urbocenoses was the content of mobile forms of copper in them - exceeding the maximum permissible standards for this indicator was detected in more than half of the studied samples, which can be associated with insufficient efficiency of cleaning emissions into the atmosphere of industrial enterprises and transport, as well as with low humanization of urbanized soils, which is a consequence of low ability to strong fixation of metals. The results of comprehensive ecological and hygienic studies of the soils of the Voronezh region generally demonstrate their compliance with the requirements of the current standards, which opens up significant prospects for the further development of the region.