Tracing lead pollution sources in abandoned mine areas using stable Pb isotope ratios

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2014-02, Vol.186 (2), p.781-789
• Main Authors: Yoo, Eun-Jin, Lee, Jung-A, Park, Jae-Seon, Lee, Khanghyun, Lee, Won-Seok, Han, Jin-Seok, Choi, Jong-Woo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abandoned mines; Acids; Analysis; Assessments; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Collectors; Contaminated sediments; Dissolution; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental monitoring; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental Pollution - statistics & numerical data; Environmental research; Fractionation; Heavy metals; Isotope ratios; Isotopes; Isotopes - analysis; Lead; Lead (metal); Lead - analysis; Mathematical analysis; Mining; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; National parks; Pollution; Pollution sources; Ratios; Republic of Korea; Sediment samplers; Sediments; Soil Pollutants - analysis; spectrometers; Studies; Tracers
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-013-3416-8

This study focused on Pb isotope ratios of sediments in areas around an abandoned mine to determine if the ratios can be used as a source tracer. For pretreatment, sediment samples were dissolved with mixed acids, and a multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS, Nu plasma II) was used to investigate the Pb isotopic composition of the samples. The measured isotope ratios were then corrected for instrumental mass fractionation by measuring the ²⁰³Tl/²⁰⁵Tl ratio. Repeated measurements with the NIST SRM 981 reference material showed that the precision of all ratios was below 104 ppm (±2σ) for 50 ng/g. The isotope ratios (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb) found were 0.85073 ± 0.0004~0.85373 ± 0.0003 for the main stream, while they were 0.83736 ± 0.0010 for the tributary and 0.84393 ± 0.0002 for the confluence. A binary mixing equation for isotope ratios showed that the contributions of mine lead to neighboring areas were up to 60 %. Therefore, Pb isotope ratios can be a good source tracer for areas around abandoned mines.