These peaks were overall consistent with the temporal trend of past As discharges from the Rönnskär smelter and the accompanied As concentrations in past sea-water of the Bothnian Bay, pointing to a connection between the historical smelter activities and the sediment-bound As in the inner estuary.
However, the concentrations and accumulation rates of As peaked at depths where the smelter activities had already declined, but a large increase in the deposition of Al hydroxides and Fe phases occurred in response to intensified land-use in the mid 1960's and early 1970's.
Soils used in this study were collected from sites affected by mining and smelter activities.
For example, studies carried out in vineyards without smelters activities like in Spain, indicate a mean of 35.4 mg/kg [29,30]; 179 579 mg/kg in top soil [31], in France 22 398 mg/kg in top soil (0 30 cm) [28] and 227 mg/kg for the deep horizon (35 40 cm) [9], while in Brazil the vineyard soils presents very high concentrations (up to 3216 mg/kg Cu) [32].
Even if zinc cadmium smelters cease activity, historical environmental contamination remains a persistent source of exposure.
While the smelter sat idle, mining activity continued on the south side of the river in the Hope-Katy mine complex, at the Hope Mill, which crushed and separated ore, and at the Basin Reduction Works.
In 1992, the primary zinc smelter in Overpelt ceased activity (Buchet et al. 1996).
A total of 920 subjects was examined, including active smelter employees, retired workers and copper mine employees who had never worked in the smelter.
Trail, Canada, has been the site of an active lead/zinc smelter for nearly a century.
In paddy soils largely affected by industrial activities like mining and smelter, the Cd concentrations are much higher than the average (Xian, 1988; Asami et al., 1995).
