The present study was carried out to describe the characteristic features of potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in the soil of industrial city, Kolchugino–Vladimir Region–Russia. The mass fractions in mg/kg of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd were measured by atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS). Multivariate statistical analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), were performed. The obtained results of the potentially toxic elements were mapped using ArcGIS. A total of four pollution indices were calculated to identify the areas with significant pollution associations. The data analysis showed that locations 14 (urban area) and 16 (non-ferrous metallurgy plant) contribute significantly to pollution. Maximum likelihood method was used to classify the land-use and land-cover (LULC). The analysis shows that locations 14 and 16 are belonging to the industrial area on LULC. Great attention should be paid to the control and regulation of waste disposal into the environment, which in turn, has an adversely impact on human health. By using the data, it could help to identify areas where waste control measures need to be implemented, such as increasing recycling or introducing more waste control legislation. It could also help to identify areas where waste control efforts have been successful. Data can be used by government, policymakers, and stakeholders for future planning and R&D activities.

This article discusses the evaluation of the role of soil as a medium that attenuates doses of radiation during the determination of ecosystem service costs. Some problems of simulation of doses of radiation in terrestrial ecosystems are also considered. An algorithm of the description of the establishment of doses of radiation to living organisms in the soil, on its surface, or at some distance from it is proposed. This algorithm makes it possible to take into account the migration of radioactive substances in a certain volume of soil and the irregularity of its shielding properties. The possibility of connection of the module of the dynamics of soil moisture is shown. A version of the simulation model—namely, DoseMod_3D_soil—is given as an example of implementation of the algorithm.

The purpose of this study was to assess the processes of plant community formation on recultivated dumps of spent uranium-containing industrial waste from uranium deposit mines, as well as to identify the degree of impact of agro-climatic factors, agrochemical indicators of soils of recultivated dumps, and the level of residual ionizing radiation on the productivity of the emerging vegetation cover. Studies of plant colonization of recultivated Grachevsky and Shantobinsky uranium mine dumps located in Northern Kazakhstan were carried out. The mining and technical stage of reclamation consisted of planning a dump with slopes of 15° and covering it with a 1 m layer of chestnut soil. In total, 30-35 plant species are present in the dumps, the projective coverage is approximately the same (56.6-70.0%), and the herbage density is 15-16.6 plants/100 m². As a result of the measures taken to recultivate the dumps, the intensity of the background ionizing radiation at the Grachevsky mine dump was in the range of 25-35 µR/hr and at the Shantobinsky mine dump 10-25 µR/hr, which indicates compliance with safety standards. The plant species which can be used for artificial plant colonization of uranium-containing waste dumps, were identified.

The possibility of using the VERT_MIG algorithm in simulation models of the vertical migration of radionuclides in soil is discussed. The algorithm was successfully used to develop models of 137Cs...