State of contamination of agricultural soils after floods in August 2002

Sixteen soil samples from agriculturally used soils flooded in August 2002 were taken because new information about the state of soil contamination was required. The area in the Vltava river basin from Pragueto Mělník and in the Laberiver basin from Neratovice to Děčín was investigated. The samples were taken in September 2002 and analysed for the contents of potentially risky elements and persistent organic pollutants, including persistent dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans. The results were compared with the data from the project Labe 1992. The findings show a low soil load of potentially risky elements and a slight reduction of their contents in soil in comparison with the state in 1992 (except for vanadium). The same situation was observed in the case of persistent organic pollutants. Only the content of DDT was increased in the soils of most localities after floods in August 2002. This finding needs further observations on a larger collection of samples. The dreads resulting from expected soil contamination by dibenzodioxins from Spolana Neratovice factory were not confirmed and their contents in the soils of observed localities meet the requirements for plant production without any reduction.