Spatial Distribution of Contamination With Selected Trace Metals in Mountain Soils of the Beskid Mały Mountains in Southern Poland

This study aimed to determine the levels, mobility, and concentration fluctuations of cadmium, lead, and zinc in soils southern Poland's Beskid Mały mountains. The examined massif is located approximately 60–100 km to the south and southeast of potential industrial contamination sources, including the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB), the Katowice Iron Steelworks, as well as the Bukowno zinc–lead ore mine and smelter. Soil pollution in the study area was assessed utilizing the geoaccumulation index and the potential ecological risk index. At the same time, the Bureau Communitaire de Reference (BCR) sequential extraction technique was employed to assess the mobility of the elements. The results indicate a discernible influence of industrial sources on mountainous environmental contamination, with a robust correlation among lead, zinc, and cadmium concentrations, affirming a common origin. Furthermore, a statistically significant disparity in metal concentrations was observed between the leeward and windward sides of the mountains, notwithstanding the relatively low absolute height. This phenomenon has not been previously documented in low-altitude regions (below 1000 m above sea level). Therefore, despite their modest height, the studied highlands serve as an impediment to the dissemination of airborne pollutants. The research presented here also paves the way for further analyses and attempts to systematize information on the minimum height of a mountain barrier as a function of its distance from potential sources of pollution.