OREANDA-NEWS  The level of dangerous heavy metals in the ancient necropolises of Rostov-on-Don and Bataysk does not exceed the norm. This conclusion was made by scientists of the Academy of Biology and Biotechnology of the SFU D.I. Ivanovsky. They checked eight burials to see if there was an environmental threat. 

Heavy metals are chemical elements whose density exceeds five grams per cubic centimeter, or whose atomic number is greater than 50. Some of them are biologically important trace elements for plants and living organisms. However, significant exceedances of maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) negatively affect humans and the state of ecosystems, experts say.

The area of burials is increasing every year. But since these sites are important to society for religious beliefs, they are practically not studied. An employee of the Academy of Biology and Biotechnology of D.I. Ivanovsky, a graduate student Olga Lukyanova with a team and under the guidance of Professor, Doctor of Geographical Sciences, Director of the Academy of Biology and Biotechnology Kamil Kazeev has been studying the old necropolises of Rostov-on-Don and Bataysk for several years. Among them there are both active and already closed. Some are more than a hundred years old, and the total area exceeds 130 hectares. "With the increase in the area of burials, quite extensive territories arise within the boundaries of settlements or in their vicinity. The cemetery is not only a multifunctional place that combines social functions with historical and ecological values, but is also a repository of natural and cultural diversity. The cemetery is also a potential source of impact on the environment and human health. There are serious gaps in the scientific literature in assessing the ecological condition of these territories," Kamil Kazeev said.

A group of scientists from the Southern Federal University studied the composition of soils in the territories of cemeteries in the region. The results of the study showed that most heavy metals do not exceed the norm. However, the content of some was slightly exceeded. Most often among them were chromium and zinc, less often — nickel and lead. In six samples out of 52, the gross content of heavy metals was significantly higher than the permissible level: for zinc — by 10-16 times, for copper — by 2-20 times.

There is a similar situation in the territories of the cemeteries of Bataysk: most metals are contained in doses that do not exceed the dangerous level, with the exception of chromium and zinc. Scientists also note that in 23 of the 25 samples, the chromium content was exceeded up to two times relative to the MPC, and the zinc content in 30 percent of the samples was up to 3-3.5 times.