Mining-Related Metal Pollution and Ecological Risk Factors in South-Eastern Georgia

Marika Avkopashvili, Guranda Avkopashvili, Irakli Avkopashvili, Lasha Asanidze, Lia Matchavariani, Alexander Gongadze and Ramaz Gakhokidze
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Marika Avkopashvili: Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia
Guranda Avkopashvili: Elevter Andronikashvili Institute of Physics, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi 0177, Georgia
Irakli Avkopashvili: Department of Earth Sciences, Ilia State University, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia
Lasha Asanidze: Vakhushti Bagrationi Institute of Geography, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi 0177, Georgia
Lia Matchavariani: Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia
Alexander Gongadze: Elevter Andronikashvili Institute of Physics, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi 0177, Georgia
Ramaz Gakhokidze: Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: Gold and copper production is important to the Georgian economy, but at the same time, mineral resources are mined in one of the important agricultural areas of the country. This study evaluated water and soil quality in the region. Soil from 18 villages was analyzed. Some of these villages have not been investigated before and previous information about soil quality was unknown. Ecological risk factors and potential ecological risk were determined for the study area. Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to analyze heavy metals concentration in soil and water samples taken from the study area. Integrated water and soil data allowed us to see how these important natural resources influence each other. After the comparison of the four-year period of the study, we observed an increase of heavy metals increase in the soil in 2017 compared to 2014. Higher lead concentration was discovered within a two kilometer radius of the mining area whereas the highest cadmium concentration was observed in the village Ratevani, 15 km away from the nearest mine, where there was an extremely high ecological risk of Cd concentration. Further investigations are recommended to be done in Ratevani village as the people living in this village are at risk of Cd poisoning.

Keywords: soil pollution; mining; heavy metals; ecological risk; particulate matter (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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