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
