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An article by PhD student MSc. Tomasz Szafran, MSc, and three staff members of our institute: Dr Hab. Andrzej Plak, Prof. UMCS, Dr Hab. Jacek Chodorowski, Prof. UMCS, and Dr Małgorzata Telecka, has been published in Quaestiones Geographicae. The article focuses on the study of the properties of soils forming on buildings (known as edifisols) in Lublin. The publication presents the results of geochemical analyses conducted between 2020 and 2023, which allowed for an assessment of the potential of these soils as indicators of pollution in urban environments.
Szafran T., Plak A., Chodorowski J., Telecka M., 2025. Are soils forming on buildings indicators of pollution in the city? A case study from Lublin (Eastern Poland). Quaestiones Geographicae 44(1), 5–20. DOI: 10.14746/quageo-2025-0001
The research involved eight soil profiles sampled from abandoned or neglected buildings of various uses in Lublin. The analyses revealed elevated levels of heavy metals such as cadmium, nickel, copper, chromium, and zinc, resulting from anthropogenic activities. The use of geochemical indicators, such as the enrichment factor (EF) and the potential ecological risk index (RI), enabled a detailed assessment of pollution levels and their impact on urban ecosystems. The findings suggest that edifisols can serve as valuable tools for monitoring the condition of urban environments.
The article highlights the importance of interdisciplinary research in assessing anthropogenic pressure in urban settings and provides new insights into the role of anthropogenic soils in evaluating environmental quality. The full text is available in open access.
Publication list of Institute staff
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