THE REASEARCH ON SOIL CONTAMINATION DUE TO MILITARY-ANTHROPOGENIC INFLUENCES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35546/kntu2078-4481.2025.3.1.32Keywords:
soil contamination, dangerous chemical elements, anthropogenic influence, land reclamation, experience of the European UnionAbstract
This work examines the experience of the European Union regarding studies of the chemical composition of agricultural land soils, as well as comparative studies of soil samples from the territories of Ukraine that were under occupation for a short time. A considerable range of research in Europe was carried out in the 21st century to compile a map of the distribution of certain chemical elements, their content in agricultural plants and, accordingly, the impact on the health of consumers of agricultural products. Particular attention was paid to those chemical elements which were deemed by the World Health Organization to be definitely dangerous for the human body, namely cadmium, lead, arsenic and dioxins. The territories where military operations took place during World War I, and which have not been reclaimed until now, were most carefully investigated. Surveys of these areas, with sampling from craters and from the smooth soil surface, have shown that one hundred years after the fighting, surpluses of harmful chemical elements can still be observed in such areas. In Ukraine, during the war, it is impossible to conduct such research in areas of active hostilities, but it must be carried out in areas that were freed from occupation and that can be used in agriculture in the future. Soils were selected in several areas of the Kyiv region and their research was carried out in laboratory conditions. A slight increase in the content of cadmium, lead and manganese in some samples was noted compared to samples taken in the Lviv region. Taking into account the conditions of sampling in areas subjected to artillery fire, namely, the danger of mines and unexploded ordnance, a more detailed analysis is not possible, but after the deactivation of explosive residues, a detailed study of the composition of chemical elements, taking into account the experience of the European Union in the soils in the liberated territories, is a necessary procedure for their further use.
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