Does the Function of Railway Infrastructure Determine Qualitative and Quantitative Composition of Contaminants (PAHs, Heavy Metals) in Soil and Plant Biomass?

• Published in: Water, air, and soil pollution Vol. 226; no. 8; pp. 1 - 12
• Main Authors: Mętrak, Monika, Chmielewska, Monika, Sudnik-Wójcikowska, Barbara, Wiłkomirski, Bogusław, Staszewski, Tomasz, Suska-Malawska, Małgorzata
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.07.2015; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: 19th century; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bioindicators; Biological indicators; Chemical elements; Chemical research; Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts; Contaminants; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Environmental impact; Environmental monitoring; Flowers & plants; Heavy metals; Herbicides; Hydrocarbons; Hydrogeology; Infrastructure; Infrastructure (Economics); Investigations; Laboratories; Locomotives; Metals; Natural environment; Petroleum products; Plant biomass; Pollutants; Pollution dispersion; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Railroads; Soil Science & Conservation; Transportation industry; Water Quality/Water Pollution; PAHs; Railway; Pollution; Heavy metals
• ISSN: 0049-6979; 1573-2932
• DOI: 10.1007/s11270-015-2516-1

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals are the two most important groups of pollutants associated with rail transport. Both have a serious negative impact on the natural environment, including human health and degradation of sensitive ecosystems. In our study, apart from qualitative and quantitative analysis of the main PAHs and heavy metals associated with rail, we tried to assess composition of specific compounds related to functional areas of railway infrastructure and to distinguish potential chemical markers which can be used for identification of pollution. Moreover, we evaluated the applicability of plants overgrowing railway infrastructure as bioindicators of rail-associated pollution. Though we confirmed that high amounts of PAHs and heavy metals in soil are characteristic for intensively used railway infrastructure, we found no typical pollution profiles for the differently used areas (i.e. platforms, sidings, cleaning bays). The major source of these contaminants is petroleum products used in conservation of railway infrastructure and rolling stock. As far as the use of plants overgrowing railway infrastructure as bioindicators of rail-associated pollution is concerned, it is rather limited, due to frequent application of herbicides for security and track stability reasons.