Long-Range Transport of Lead and Cadmium in Europe Results of the Model Simulation for the 1985 – 1995 Period

In 1994, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) proposed that the future work on heavy metals should concentrate on priority elements: Pb, Hg, Cd, Cr, Ni, Zn, Cu, As and Se with particular focus on the first three metals. Concerning environmental impact of heavy metals, their concentrations, especially in remote areas, are usually too low to cause any serious adverse effects. However, the concentrations in remote parts of Europe can increase significantly during episodes of long range transport from anthropogenic sources. In addition, even low deposition fluxes accumulate in the soil and can reach the level at which heavy metals become mobile in the environment. Therefore, depositions and especially long-term cumulative depositions of heavy metals have to be monitored.