ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATION OF SOILS AND PLANTS IN THE IMPACT ZONE OF LANDFILLS

Abstract

The article presents the results of a comprehensive environmental study of the impact of municipal waste landfills on s oil and vegetation in the Ternopil and Khmelnytskyi regions of Ukraine. The objects of the study involved four landfills located near the villages of Malashivtsi, Dunayivtsi, Kremenets, and Khmelnytskyi. X-ray fluorescence analysis of soil and plant samples was conducted to a ssess the level of contamination. Concentration coefficients, integral pollution indic es (Zc), and bioaccumulation coefficients of heavy metals in the soilplant system were calculated. Higher concentrations of Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, Sr, and Mn were detected in the soils, exceeding both background values and MPCs, indicating a significant man-made impact of landfills. The highest pollution coefficients were recorded at Khmelnytskyi and Dunayivtsi landfills. The high capacity of plants for biological accumulation of Cu, Mn, Zn and Sr was revealed, which poses a potential danger of toxicant transfer to the biosphere. The active dynamics of vertical migration of elements in the soil profile was established. The obtained results emphasize the need for systematic environmental monitoring, improvement of waste management technologies and implementation of landfill reclamation measures to reduce the anthropogenic impact on the environment.