ASSESSMENT OF THE ELEMENTAL COMPOSITION OF AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS OF THE KYIV REGION USING ATOMIC EMISSION SPECTROMETRY

Abstract

The current state of aquatic systems requires careful monitoring of their chemical composition, as anthropogenic factors may lead to the accumulation of potentially hazardous substances in the aquatic environment. Particular attention is paid to heavy metals, which are characterized by high toxicity, the ability to bioaccumulate, and negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems and human health even at very low concentrations. In this regard, determining the elemental composition of natural waters is a priority task of modern environmental and analytical monitoring. The relevance of this study is explained by the need to obtain reliable data on the content of chemical elements in water systems of the Kyiv region in order to assess their ecological status and compliance with regulatory requirements. The aim of this work was to determine the elemental composition of water samples from various water bodies of the Kyiv region, in particular to establish the concentrations of heavy metals and evaluate their distribution in the surface waters of the region. The obtained results are important for the analysis of water resource quality in the Kyiv region, as well as for the development of a set of measures aimed at their rational use, protection, and restoration. The research was carried out at the Ukrainian Laboratory of Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, which is accredited in accordance with the requirements of the DSTU ISO/IEC 17025 standard and ensures the reliability and reproducibility of the obtained results. To determine the elemental composition of water samples, the method of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was applied. This method is characterized by high sensitivity, accuracy, and the ability to simultaneously determine a large number of chemical elements at low concentrations. The detection limit for the majority of elements is approximately 0.01 mg/dm³, which makes it possible to detect even trace amounts of metals in water samples. To ensure accuracy and quality control of analytical measurements, a multielement standard solution IV produced by Merck KGaA (Germany) was used. Analysis of the obtained data showed that the concentrations of such heavy metals as cobalt (Co), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and copper (Cu) in the studied water samples are insignificant and do not exceed the established regulatory limits. In addition, it was found that the content of zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), bismuth (Bi), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg) is within the permissible concentrations. The results indicate a satisfactory ecological state of the studied water bodies of the Kyiv region in terms of heavy metal content. The scientific novelty of this work lies in the comprehensive determination of the elemental composition of natural waters of the region using the modern highly sensitive ICP-AES method. This made it possible to obtain reliable data on the concentrations of trace elements and heavy metals in water bodies of the Kyiv region. The practical significance of this study lies in the possibility of using the obtained results to assess the ecological condition of the region’s water resources, predict the risks of their contamination, and ensure environmental safety. In addition, the obtained data may be used to evaluate the impact of water quality on the safety of agricultural production and to develop an effective water resource monitoring system.