Environmental Health Hazards of the Demolition of the 'Siechnice' Smelter Slag Heap

The activities of smelters are often responsible for emitting pollution, especially PTEs, which are known to have a negative impact on the environment. Hence, the areas with active or past smelter activities are now of great concern. Following this idea, the analysis of the soil samples from the area nearby post-metallurgic waste dump, which is a remnant of the smelter where ferrochrome was produced, was performed. The samples were analyzed in terms of metal concentrations (Zn, Cu, Pb, Fe, Cr) and only the concentrations of Pb did not exceed the limit value for soil. Calculations of the exposure doses for each of these metals were also presented, considering different routes of exposure. Additionally, Hazard Quotient (HQ), Hazard Index (HI), and excessive risk of cancer development (ECR) were calculated, which helped to estimate the health risk.