Guest Editorial - "Geoanalysis 2003"

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Geochemical analysis of soil in the central Barents Region

This atlas is the culmination of one of the most comprehensive environmental geochemical studies ever undertaken on a regional scale. It covers some of the most polluted, and some of the most pristine areas in Europe. It provides data for many elements for which the media concerned have not previously been analysed on a large regional scale and demonstrates that many of these are part of the emission spectra from industries within the area covered. It casts light on many processes governing the distribution of elements in the biosphere, pedosphere and geosphere, questioning some established theories and confirming others. It represents both an end and a beginning, in that the data are now available for use in studies related to toxicological impacts on plants, animals and humans, remediation of polluted areas, the scientific basis for action levels, baseline assessments for new development projects and other fields

Impact of platinum group element emissions from mining and production activities

South Africa and Russia are the world’s leading platinum group elements (PGE) producers with over 80 % of the global PGE output. Studies performed in the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa and on the Kola Peninsula in Russia show that PGE mining and production activities are important regional PGE sources. Elevated PGE concentrations have been found in snow, soil, road dust, grass, moss and humus collected near PGE mining and production sites. The occurrence of elevated PGE concentrations near mining sites raises concern over environmental effects and exposure of the local population. Studies on the occurrence of PGE in remote environments also suggest that emissions from PGE production activities contribute to the global biogeochemical cycle of the PGE. The loss of PGE during metal production could be as much as 5 % of the global supply and represents a substantial economic loss. Studies on the impact of PGE mining and production activities are few. Further research is needed to better assess the environmental impact of PGE emissions from mining and production activities