350
Int. J. Environment and Health, Vol. 6, No. 4, 2013
Accumulation of heavy metals in the bottom sediments of the Irkutsk Reservoir Andrzej Jagus* Institute of Environmental Protection and Engineering, University of Bielsko-Biala, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biala, Poland E-mail:
[email protected] *Corresponding author
Victoria Khak Institute of Earth Crust, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Lermontova 128, 664033 Irkutsk, Russia E-mail:
[email protected]
Martyna A. Rzetala and Mariusz Rzetala Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia, Bedzinska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland E-mail:
[email protected] E-mail:
[email protected] Abstract: The chemical composition of the bottom sediment, and more particularly the heavy metals content, reflects human developments and impacts on the catchment and reservoir’s natural environment. The bottom sediments of the reservoir retained by the Irkutsk Dam have been analysed. The reservoir is mainly supplied by water from Lake Baikal. The following amounts of heavy metals have been found in the sediment samples analysed: cadmium – below detection threshold (
