Home – Home – Jornals – Chemistry for Sustainable Development 2026 number 4

Technogenic emissions from a number of large industrial enterprises for several decades have been determining the unfavourable environmental situation in the city of Angarsk (the Irkutsk region). This indicates the relevance of geoecological studies, allowing assessment of the anthropogenic impact on the components of the urban environment. The study presents the results of spatial distribution of dust load and concentrations of major elements (Fe, Al, and Ca) and trace ones (V, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Mo, U, Pb, and Hg) in the solid sediment of the snow cover of industrial and residential areas of Angarsk. It has been revealed that the mean value of dust load in the industrial area of the city is 141.6 mg/(m²•day), and in the residential area it is 108.8 mg/(m²•day), with the background level being 6.2 mg/(m²•day). The elements dominating in the industrial area are Pb, Cd, and As, their concentrations exceed the background levels by a factor of 23, 11, 10, respectively, and in the residential area Pb and As dominate (exceeding background concentrations by a factor of 15 and 10, respectively). The major sources of technogenic elements emissions are the Angarsk Cement and Mining Plant, the Angarsk Petrochemical Plant, and TPP objects. Geochemical mapping and factor analysis revealed associations of potentially hazardous elements in the solid sediment of the snow cover: Ca-Cd-Pb-Zn, As-U-Al, and Co-Ni-V. Pollutant elements spread from industrial sources over the residential area as a result of atmospheric transport. The mean values of the total index of potential ecological risk characterise the level of atmospheric air pollution in Angarsk as very high.