Polluted areas can cause risks for health and the environment. It is estimated that there are around 80 000 polluted areas in Sweden. BillerudKorsnäs is a pulp and paper industry in the village of Karlsborg, located at the end of the Kalix River in the north of Sweden. Previous studies investigated potential pollutants in the area by analyzing the groundwater. Three of thirteen groundwater pipes were polluted. One groundwater pipe (GV18) exceeded contamination classifications on lead and two other metals, and another groundwater pipe on trichlorethylene (GV10), based on Swedish groundwater classifications (Naturvårdsverket 1999). The third pipe showed high PCB-values (GV4), based on intervention value from Holland (VROM 2000). The Swedish law states that a complementary sampling must be taken within five years and therefore, this study was conducted in May 2020. Two groundwater pipes were measured on oxygen, conductivity, temperature, and pH. The third pipe, which previously showed increased levels of trichloroethylene, could not be sampled. Groundwater sample from the two remaining pipes were sent to an accredited laboratory where one was analyzed for PCB7 and the other for lead, and 21 other metals. The results showed higher levels of lead, based on updated classifications (Sveriges Geologiska Undersökning 2013) and lower PCB-levels. Because of the short distance from GV4 to the sea and big particles in the area, there is a risk of PCB-dispersion to the sea. Both levels of PCB and lead in the groundwater pipes need more investigations.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:umu-185352 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Vikman, Louise |
| Publisher | Umeå universitet, Institutionen för ekologi, miljö och geovetenskap |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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