Heavy metals in samples of snow and ground water in the neighborhood of the Severodvinsk industrial area

This work is devoted to the urgent problem of heavy metal pollution of snow and groundwater. The territory adjacent to the Severodvinsk industrial region was taken as an object. The subject of the study was snow samples taken to the entire depth of the profile and groundwater samples taken from wells. To determine the metal content, the method of mass spectrometry was used. The radioactivity of the samples was studied by radiometry and spectrometry. Mineralization, conductivity, acidity and redox potential were measured by a conductometer and a pH meter, according to their methods. As a result, it was found that the concentrations of heavy metals, as in all snow samples, do not exceed the maximum permissible values. High concentrations of manganese were detected in groundwater, exceeding the norm by 2-4 times. The total alpha and beta activity in snow samples slightly exceeds the permissible concentration. The activity of uranium isotopes in groundwater samples from most wells exceeds the norms for drinking water. A direct dependence of the content of most heavy metals in snow and water is observed. The total activity values of 234U + 238U range from 0.24-0.49 Bq/L. Physico-chemical indicators correlate with high levels of heavy metals.