Contamination, Risk Assessment and Spatial Distribution of Harmful Metals in Soil Near Stanari (B&H)

Soil pollution arises as a consequence of human activities, such as agriculture, industrial projects, and mining. Toxic elements in the soil manifest in the form of liquid metals. These activities, particularly thermal power plants and mining, constitute the primary sources of soil pollution that surpass standard levels. Pollution of soil around coal mines and power plants occurs as a result of the emission of potentially harmful metals and other pollutants into the air, which then settle on the soil. Potentially harmful metals represent a very important group of environmental pollutants because they are potential metabolic inhibitors. The paper describes research focused on presenting and discussing data related to soil pollution by potentially harmful metals near the Stanari Mine and Thermal Power Plant in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ecological risk were assessed based on the concentrations of selected metals (Fe, Mn, Pb, Ni, Cr, Zn, Co and Hg) in nine surface soil samples taken from the sites around the thermal power plant Stanari. The research expended through two-years period (2018 and 2020). Various statistical measures such as mode, median, mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, variance, skewness, kurtosis, and Shapiro-Wilk test results have been provided for each element. Fe has the highest mean concentration (23195 mg/kg) followed by Mn, Pb, Ni, Cr, Zn, Cu, and Hg. PCA analysis provides information on the relationship between metals and the two components, as well as the amount of variance in each variable that is not explained by these components.