Chemical Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination in Soil—Case Study of a Mining Waste Dump in Hunedoara County, Romania

This study focused on the presence of heavy metals in the mining waste dump in the Certej area (Hunedoara County, Romania). The total content of metals (Cr, Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, Ni, Zn, Fe) and the physical–chemical parameters (pH, redox potential, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, and salinity) were analyzed in the soil and sterile samples. The content of Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb, Mn in the samples collected nearby the mining waste dump was relatively low, being close to those considered normal levels in the national legislation. The samples from the mining waste dump indicated that Pb exceeded the alert levels, Zn almost reached the alert limit, and Cu exceeded the normal threshold. The content of Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb had an increasing trend from the top to the base of the dump, which may indicate a metal leakage due to water infiltration. Since agricultural activities take place in the proximity of the investigated area, special attention for plant uptake was taken into consideration.