Geological Survey Department

The Geological Survey Department is monitoring anthropogenic pollution in Cyprus by keeping a national inventory of potentially polluted areas. This inventory is based on a Geographical Information System (GIS) and is compatible with other existing databases of environmental relevance. The inventory includes:
· All potentially soil polluting activities (quarries, abandoned and active mines, stock rearing industries, petrol stations, wood and metal processing industries etc)
· Characteristics of the potential soil pollution in terms of the chemical constituents
· The polluted site in terms of its position, the degree and the source of pollution and in some cases assessment of the regeneration activities needed.

The project of setting up the inventory of potential soil contamination activities was completed in 2006 in collaboration with the Greek Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration (IGME) and is updated ever since [1].
The GSD carries out yearly monitoring of soils and ground water of known polluted areas. One such area is the “Askarel” area where in the past there was burial of polluted soils with PCB containing oil. This oil was used in the past as an insulator in heavy machinery mainly transformers and contained toxic organic compounds known as Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB). These compounds are known for their lipophilic properties which in conjunction to their high toxicity tend to enter living organisms and progressively bio accumulate in the soft tissue of humans causing many health problems. These compound tend to enter the food chain through soil and water.

Observed anthropogenic activities correlate well with soil geochemistry in the city of Lefkosia

References

1. Demetriades, A., Androulakakis, N., Charalambides, A., 2006. National inventory of potential sources of soil contamination in Cyprus. Report to the Cyprus Ministry of Agriculture, Lefkosia.
2. Cohen, D.R., Rutherford, N.F., Morisseau, E., Christoforou, I., Zissimos, A.M., 2012b. Anthropogenic versus Lithological Influences on Soil Geochemical Patterns in Cyprus. GEEA, 12, 349–360.
3. Kostarelos, K., Gavriel, I., Stylianou, M., Zissimos, A.M., Morisseau, E., Dermatas, D., Legacy Soil Contamination at Abandoned Mine Sites: Making a Case for Guidance on Soil Protection, Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, DOI 10.1007/s00128-015-1461-4 (2015).

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Monitoring anthropogenic pollution

Geoenvironment