Mine pit lakes are a specific type of water accumulation, formed after exploitation process, by water filling the remaining crater or damming a watercourse with overburden material. Due to nature of their formation, these lakes may contain various heavy metals that might have an adverse effect on diversity of phytobenthos. The objective of this paper is the analysis of the phytobenthos assemblages in the mine pit lakes and assessment of the effects of certain heavy metals on diversity of this group of organisms. Special emphasis of this work is to determine the presence of tolerant species of algae on heavy metal pollution in mine pit lakes and their application in biomonitoring. The field research was performed during autumn season in 2014, at six mine pit lakes in the territory of B&H. The following heavy metals were analysed Al, Cr, Zn, Ni and Fe. The results were discussed in terms of confirmation or rejection of the hypothesis on the adverse effect of heavy metals on diversity of algae.

ABSTRACT Airborne particulate matter of up to 10 µm collected at an urban and a rural area at Sarajevo in 2013 and 2014 was acid digested for determination of total concentrations or extracted with synthetic gastric juice for the bioaccessible fractions of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn and determined by graphite furnace and flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The total concentrations of Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and V were higher at the urban site, while those of Cd, Ni, and Zn were virtually equal at both sites. The average bioaccessible fractions exhibited the following trend at both sites: Fe > Zn > Cu > Mn > Pb > Cr > V > Ni > Cd. Enrichment factors and daily intake of metals by inhalation were calculated.

The main objective of this study is to assess the level of contamination from mercury and other elements in the Sarajevo area. The soil and lichen samples (Hypogymnia physodes) were collected from selected areas there were nine soil sites and four sites for lichens. Validated and standardized analytical procedures were used in order to compare the obtained results with data from other countries in Europe. The accuracy of the results obtained by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS) for total mercury and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for other elements (Ag, As, Au, Ba, Br, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Ga, Hf, Ho, In, K, La, Mo, Na, Nd, Pd, Pr, Rb, Ru, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Sn, Sr, Ta, Tb, Te, Th, Tm, U, W, Yb, Zn, and Zr) was verified by the use of certified reference materials. Results obtained for mercury showed that at three sites (Butmir, PMF, and Blekin potok) the mercury concentrations in the soil were much higher, 5 to 10 times higher, than the allowed values. All lichens samples examined contained low mercury concentrations that cannot be correlated with the mercury contents in the soil. Comparison of the multielemental analysis of the lichen H. physodes and surface soils samples is also presented.

Heavy metal pollutant in urban street dust has become a growing concern in recent years. Street dust samples from urban and suburban areas were collected from the Sarajevo area, Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the spring season of 2013. Samples were collected from low and high density traffic roads, industrial zones, parks, parking places, hospitals and local health centres, school gardens. The levels of heavy metals of street dusts were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, iron, manganese, lead and zinc levels in the dust samples were found in the range of 0.58–3.65, 3.42–60.82, 5.49– 388, 9.31–161, 647–2244, 6.10–13.32, 31.63-1760 and 40.29–378 μg/g, respectively. The highest metal concentrations were found in samples from industrial zone and in the streets with heavy traffic. The lowest levels of the metal concentrations were found in the samples from health centres and school gardens. The concentrations of the metals were, in most of cases, similar to the mean world-wide contents of the street dust samples. Correlations between heavy trace metal levels of the dust samples were also evaluated.

Eight samples of iron slag and two metallic artefacts from two Early Iron Age sites in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, ��olaci and Pod, were analysed using chemical instrumental methods. Atomic absorption spectrometry was applied to determine major (Fe, Al,Ca, Na, Mg, K and Mn) and trace elements (Cr, Cu, Co, Ni and Zn), while gravimetric method and molecular visible spectrometry were applied to determine Si and Ti, respectively. Infrared spectrum of selected samples was recorded during different phases ofanalysis and the results show that the primary ore was hematite. Results also indicate that residents from both sites, which are adjacent, used the same ore source. Low values of Ca, whose compounds are used as flux in later stages of the processing of iron ore, show that the processing of iron at the study sites was in the beginning stage of its development.Based on the obtained results, metallic artefacts found at the site ��olaci probably came from site Pod. Graphical presentation of the content relation ship between the selected metal oxides in the slag was preformed to present differences between samples from two sites. Analysis of trace elements in the analysed slags confirmed that they originate from Early Iron Age.

Over the last decades epidemiological studies conducted in many countries around the world, observed associations between ambient particle mass concentrations and human health risks. EU has set since 1999 air quality standards (1999/30/EC) for PM10 particles. Many countries perform PM10 measurements and operate air monitoring networks, thus it is necessary to estimate the uncertainty of PM10 measurement in order the results to be comparable. An inter-laboratory comparison of PM10 measurements was held in the ground of NCSR “Demokritos”, in Athens, Greece. The aim of the campaign was to investigate if equivalent PM10 gravimetric samplers produce equivalent results and to estimate the uncertainty of the measurement. The 20 days measurement program included 24hr measurements of PM10 mass concentration, using gravimetric sampling instruments. The intercomparison measurements were carried out between the 29/9-29/10 2010. Thirteen laboratories participated in the campaign with a PM10 sampler (Unit), which is represented by a unique number (e.g. Uj, where j represents the number of the unit - not related to affiliated institutes). All the samplers had been placed on a measuring platform, at the grounds of the N.C.S.R "Demokritos". Participating measuring systems were based on the same principals for size selection of the PM10 fraction, filtration of the particles and flow measurement. Size selection inlets operated by impaction, teflon nuclepore and quartz filters were used and flow was controlled by orifice systems and/or measured by dry gas meters. The method of gravimetric measurement and sample handling was in Moreover, the Z-score was also calculated in order to assess the comparability of the candidate samplers with the reference value (average PM10 mass concentration). Considering that a I Z-score I <2 implies a satisfactory comparability (EN 12341, 1998), 8% of the results of measurement was outside that interval. The validation and the delivery of the results were performed by the “Greek Atomic Energy Commission, (GAEC)”.