Original Article Microelements Accumulation in sediments. Note I: Cadmium Accumulation POPA Giana, Ion OLTEAN*, Antonia ODAGIU, Tania MIHĂIESCU Faculty of Agriculture, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Calea Manastur, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Received 5 February 2018; received and revised form 14 February 2018; accepted 25 February 2018 Available online 30 March 2018 Abstract The aquatic environment takes up the contaminants, often immobilises them in sediments and renders them in time the geological substratum with or without modification of the sediment biochemistry and/or can be taken up by plants that contribute significantly to existing or newly introduced behavioral toxicity potential or existing metals. The sampling, processing and preservation of sediment samples in order to determine the content of metals was based on the appropriate standards. The two water monitoring sections, upstream and downstream of the studied area, highlighted the Cd concentrations on the basis of which the level of contamination was established, which was subsequently confirmed and justified by the loading of these parameters in the sediment. Keywords: heavy metals, pH, toxicity, water. 1. Introduction The contamination of the aquatic environment and implicitly of the emerging vegetation, with the heavy metals from the mined activities, brings irreversible damage to the ecosystems, by diminishing the species diversity and their abundance, but also by their reduced possibilities of restoration. The aquatic environment takes up the contaminants, often immobilises them in sediments and renders them in time the geological substratum with or without modification of the sediment biochemistry and/or can be taken up by plants that contribute significantly to existing or newly introduced behavioral toxicity potential or existing metals [1 ]. * Corresponding author. Tel: +40-264-596384 Fax: +40-264-593792 E-mail: ion.oltean@usamvcluj.ro The uptake of sediment metals into the plant structure differs according to the species, the level of tolerance of the plant and, implicitly, the bio- accumulative properties, the type and nature of the metal, whether essential or non-essential, its degree of bioavailability or cumulative or singular effect [1, 3]. Concentrations of plant metals are controlled by the amount present in the sedimentary substrate, availability in the root area, and the ability of plants to absorb, transport and accumulate the types of metals [4]. The absorption of the metal is also controlled by the physical properties of the soil, such as pH, cation exchange capacity and organic matter [4, 5]. This study included the analysis of the Lapus River in the upper part of its basin on a section between Baiut and the Bloaja Avarii decantation tailings, where the impact of the mining activity was most relevant in the period between 2016 - 2017. The purpose of this study was to identify the accumulations of cadmium in sediments collected at the level of the experimental site between 2016 and 2017 on four sampling sections. Available online at http://journals.usamvcluj.ro/index.php/promediu ProEnvironment ProEnvironment 11 (2018) 52-55 52 brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk