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This study was carried out to assess human health risk exposure, to apply a novel pollution assessment–based receptor model CF-PMF (contamination factor-positive matrix factorization), and to estimate the extent of contamination across seven cities in the Frydek-Mistek district. Nevertheless, the impact of agricultural production and industrial activities on urban soil and the livelihood of the indigenous peoples in the study area as well as the source contribution of the individual PTEs is unknown. This study collected 49 soil samples across seven towns in the Frydek-Mistek district, which are primarily agricultural and industrially oriented urbanized communities. The samples were air-dried, and the potentially toxic elemental (PTEs) (i.e., Pb, As, Cr, Ni, Mn, Cu, and Zn) concentrations measured using portable x-ray fluorescence. Nemerow Pollution index and modified contamination degree indicated that the urban contamination levels were between low and moderate contamination level with a few cases of high contamination levels. The degree of contamination and the contamination factor showed varying levels of contamination for PTEs, with a high level of contamination and a low to high level of contamination, respectively. PTEs displayed a low to high pattern of spatial distribution in urban soil around Trinec, Bystice, Hrcava, and Harirov. The source of the PTEs was detected using principal component analysis, and the source apportionment of the PTEs was further assessed using CF-PMF (contamination factor-positive matrix factorization). Comparison of the CF-PMF receptor model and the EPA-PMF receptor model revealed that the novel receptor model performed better. The root mean square error (RMSE) and the mean absolute error (MAE) of the new receptor model marginal errors reduced significantly. RMSE and MAE for the CF-PMF receptor model for all the PTEs for instance As, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn are 11.56, 97.85, 17.30, 527.26, 37.16, 32.12, and 68.02 (RMSE) and 11.58,95.00, 17.26, 520.85, 37.04, 32.13, and 68.03 (MAE) were lesser than the EPA.PMF receptor model respectively. Health risk computed indicated that there was no potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk being exposed to the people living within the study area. We propose using the novel receptor model CF-PMF because its output has shown to be optimal with minimal error and improved efficiency when compared to the parent model EPA-PMF. In general, continuous introduction of agro-related inputs and other anthropogenic activities surges PTEs levels in urban soils. Thus, constructive yet efficient steps, appropriate control, and mitigation measures are required to abate pollution sources that may be sowed to the soil.

Treated water from wastewater treatment plants that is increasingly used for irrigation may contain pharmaceuticals and, thus, contaminate soils. Therefore, this study focused on the impact of soil conditions on the root uptake of selected pharmaceuticals and their transformation in a chosen soil–plant system. Green pea plants were planted in 3 soils. Plants were initially irrigated with tap water. Next, they were irrigated for 20 days with a solution of either atenolol (ATE), sulfamethoxazole (SUL), carbamazepine (CAR), or all of these three compounds. The concentrations of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites [atenolol acid (AAC), N1-acetyl sulfamethoxazole (N1AS), N4-acetyl sulfamethoxazole (N4AS), carbamazepine 10,11-epoxide (EPC), 10,11-dihydrocarbamazepine (DHC), trans-10,11-dihydro-10,11-dihydroxy carbamazepine (RTC), and oxcarbazepine (OXC)] in soils and plant tissues were evaluated after harvest. The study confirmed high (CAR), moderate (ATE, AAC, SUL), and minor (N4AC) root uptake of the studied compounds by the green pea plants, nonrestricted transfer of the CAR species into the different plant tissues, and a very high efficiency in metabolizing CAR in the stems and leaves. The results showed neither a synergic nor competitive influence of the application of all compounds in the solution on their uptake by plants. The statistical analysis proved the negative relationships between the CAR sorption coefficients and the concentrations of CAR, EPC, and OXC in the roots (R = –0.916, –0.932, and –0.925, respectively) and stems (R = –0.837, –0.844, and –0.847, respectively).

Soils can be contaminated by pharmaceuticals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of soil conditions (influencing sorption and persistence of pharmaceuticals in soils) and plant type on the root uptake of selected pharmaceuticals and their transformation in plant-soil systems. Four plants (lamb's lettuce, spinach, arugula, radish) planted in 3 soils were irrigated for 20 days (26) with water contaminated by one of 3 pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, atenolol, sulfamethoxazole) or their mixture. The concentrations of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites in soils and plant tissues were evaluated after the harvest. Sulfamethoxazole and atenolol dissipated rapidly from soils. The larger concentrations of both compounds and an atenolol metabolite were found in roots than in leaves. Sulfamethoxazole metabolites were below the limits of quantifications. Carbamazepine was stable in soils, easily uptaken, accumulated, and metabolized in plant leaves. The efficiency of radish and arugula (both family Brassicaceae) in metabolizing was very low contrary to the high and moderate efficiencies of lamb's lettuce and spinach, respectively. Compounds' transformations mostly masked the soil impact on their accumulation in plant tissues. The negative relationships were found between the carbamazepine sorption coefficients and its concentrations in roots of radish, lamb's lettuce, and spinach.

Transport of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals in soils and consequent ground-water contamination are influenced by many factors, including compound sorption on soil particles. Here we evaluate the sorption isotherms for 7 pharmaceuticals on 13 soils, described by Freundlich equations, and assess the impact of soil properties on various pharmaceuticals' sorption on soils. Sorption of ionizable pharmaceuticals was, in many cases, highly affected by soil pH. The sorption coefficient of sulfamethoxazole was negatively correlated to soil pH, and thus positively related to hydrolytic acidity and exchangeable acidity. Sorption coefficients for clindamycin and clarithromycin were positively related to soil pH and thus negatively related to hydrolytic acidity and exchangeable acidity, and positively related to base cation saturation. The sorption coefficients for the remaining pharmaceuticals (trimethoprim, metoprolol, atenolol, and carbamazepine) were also positively correlated with the base cation saturation and cation exchange capacity. Positive correlations between sorption coefficients and clay content were found for clindamycin, clarithromycin, atenolol, and metoprolol. Positive correlations between sorption coefficients and organic carbon content were obtained for trimethoprim and carbamazepine. Pedotransfer rules for predicting sorption coefficients of various pharmaceuticals included hydrolytic acidity (sulfamethoxazole), organic carbon content (trimethoprimand carbamazepine), base cation saturation (atenolol and metoprolol), exchangeable acidity and clay content (clindamycin), and soil active pH and clay content (clarithromycin). Pedotransfer rules, predicting the Freundlich sorption coefficients, could be applied for prediction of pharmaceutical mobility in soils with similar soil properties. Predicted sorption coefficients together with pharmaceutical half-lives and other imputes (e.g., soil-hydraulic, geological, hydro-geological, climatic) may be used for assessing potential ground-water contamination.

Knowledge about the impact that various organic amendments have on the behavior of pesticides in soils is essential when assessing groundwater contamination risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a compost amendment on chlorotoluron mobility in the A horizon of the Luvic Chernozem. Soil was mixed with compost material and placed into plastic cylinders. Eight mixtures (A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H) of various compost fractions (from 1 to 8% of mixture weight) were prepared. Chlorotoluron solution was applied on the top of the soil samples and a rainfall simulator was used to apply distilled water on the soil surfaces with controlled infiltration rates. Measured pressure heads at 3 positions, water outflow from the bottom, and final chlorotoluron concentrations within the soil samples were used to optimize soil hydraulic and herbicide transport parameters via numerical optimization using the HYDRUS-1D code. Optimized soil hydraulic parameters did not show noticeable changes (demonstrating an improvement of soil hydro-physical properties) with increasing compost fraction. Final chlorotoluron distribution in soil columns and estimated transport parameters also showed high variability. However, results indicated that while chlorotoluron mobility decreased up to a compost fraction of 6%, herbicide mobility noticeably increased in G (7%) samples and slightly increased in H (8%) samples. These finding corresponded to herbicide adsorption studied using a batch experiment. Multiple linear regressions revealed that other properties (not only organic carbon content) play a noticeable role in pesticide adsorption in soils. A negative impact of pH KCl (which was positively affected by compost addition), clay content, and CaCO 3 content (which were mostly properties of soil, but could be affected by compost composition as well) was documented.

When soil structure varies in different soil types and the horizons of these soil types, it has a significant impact on water flow and contaminant transport in soils. This paper focuses on the effect of soil structure variations on the transport of pesticides in the soil above the water table. Transport of a pesticide (chlorotoluron) initially applied on soil columns taken from various horizons of three different soil types (Haplic Luvisol, Greyic Phaeozem and Haplic Cambisol) was studied using two scenarios of ponding infiltration. The highest infiltration rate and pesticide mobility were observed for the Bt(1) horizon of Haplic Luvisol that exhibited a well-developed prismatic structure. The lowest infiltration rate was measured for the Bw horizon of Haplic Cambisol, which had a poorly developed soil structure and a low fraction of large capillary pores and gravitational pores. Water infiltration rates were reduced during the experiments by a soil structure breakdown, swelling of clay and/or air entrapped in soil samples. The largest soil structure breakdown and infiltration decrease was observed for the Ap horizon of Haplic Luvisol due to the low aggregate stability of the initially well-aggregated soil. Single-porosity and dual-permeability (with matrix and macropore domains) flow models in HYDRUS-1D were used to estimate soil hydraulic parameters via numerical inversion using data from the first infiltration experiment. A fraction of the macropore domain in the dual-permeability model was estimated using the micro-morphological images. Final soil hydraulic parameters determined using the single-porosity and dual-permeability models were subsequently used to optimize solute transport parameters. To improve numerical inversion results, the two-site sorption model was also applied. Although structural changes observed during the experiment affected water flow and solute transport, the dual-permeability model together with the two-site sorption model proved to be able to approximate experimental data.