Statistical Evaluation of Long-Term Monitoring of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Pollution in Groundwater at 45 Railway Sites Across Slovakia
Source abstract
Abstract
Railway sites are characterized by the frequent occurrence of soil and groundwater pollution by oil. The primary reason for pollution is usually the handling of large volumes of fuels and lubricants and, to a lesser extent, other hazardous substances, which represent an increased likelihood of potential spills due to inattention and accidents. The second factor is spills due to inadequate (aged) process equipment. In the Slovak Republic, a network of locomotive depots, strategically located throughout the country, has been operated in the past. In 2008, a pilot project was implemented to survey groundwater quality at 45 sites, followed by monitoring of the quality status until 2014. The levels of petroleum hydrocarbons in groundwater were determined by spectrophotometric methods (NEC-IR and NEC-UV). The NEC-IR parameter documented very-high pollution at 14 sites, while the NEC-UV parameter documented the same very-high pollution degree at 23 sites. Statistical evaluation using Kruskal–Wallis test followed by Dunn’s post hoc test revealed a significant effect of the size of the site as well as activity status on the presence and intensity of pollution. The presence of light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) was observed at almost half of the sites. Based on the evaluated data, railway sites represent a specific type of site with frequent occurrence of severe oil pollution, posing a significant environmental and health risk.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Oil Spill Detection and Mitigation · Lubricants and Their Additives · Environmental Chemistry and Analysis
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Department of Geochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia
The Centre of Environmental Services, Ltd., Kutlíkova 17, 852 50 Bratislava, Slovakia
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