| Abstract: | The concentration of heavy metals (Hg, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni, Mn) and chloroorganic substances (γ-HCH, ΣDDT, PCB) in surface sediments of the Western and the Eastern Odra River was analyzed after the 1997 flood and compared with data from 1995. The research has shown that, like in 1995, the Western Odra sediments were more contaminated with heavy metals and PCBs than the Eastern Odra ones. In comparison with the state of 1995, after the flood in both arms of the Odra, the amount of Cr, Mn, and PCBs has increased while the amount of Pb concentration decreased. The levels of Cd, Zn, and Ni have remained unchanged. The changes of the other pollutants were not so clear. The concentration of Hg and Cu increased in the Western Odra, while it decreased in the Eastern Odra; changes of γ-HCH and ΣDDT content were inverted. |
