Vol. 47 (2016): Bulletin of the Chemists and Technologists of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The first study, ten years after war activities, to report about the content of heavy metals
and metalloides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found in samples of soils from playgrounds was realized in Sarajevo city. Due to the fact that children, the most vulnerable population, are in direct contact with surface soils, it has been recommended that children’s playgrounds should be given special consideration in this respect. The war activities during 1992. to 1995. period caused a variety of damages and contamination of urban land. During the last five years, the background pollution of Sarajevo has been mainly created by atmosferic impurities emitted from different sources. The major polluting source of pollutants such as the heavy metals and metalloides in Sarajevo are vehicles because of high traffic density and also because vehicles (passenger cars and commercial vehicles) below the Euro 3/4 standard are used. Furthermore, heating plants (using crude oil or natural gas) and domestic heating (using wood and coal) are the other sources of inorganic and organic pollutants. Unfortunately, there is still inadequate emission control and soil quality standards in practice.

The goal of this research was to identify and quantify some inorganic and organic pollutants found in the soil of Sarajevo public playgrounds. Some of the consequences, ten years after the war, are evident in the collapse of monitoring programmes, in the severing of links between individuals working at universities and government officials, and in the physical destruction of records, including scientific data that had been painstakingly collected over a long period of time. There is currently little ongoing environmental monitoring at work. It is clear, however, that the consequences of the war for the environment have been different and geograficaly uneven. Findings of this study suggest that the contaminated playground soils in a war damaged area, as is the Sarajevo area, are still sources of heavy metals and metalloides, PAHs and PCBs contamination. While playgrounds soil characterization would provide an insight into major inorganic and organic pollutants speciation and bioavailability, attempts at environmental remediation of polluted soils would entail knowledge of the source of contamination, basic chemistry, and environmental and other associated children’s health risks caused by these pollutants.

Results of this study may contribute to a more accurate health risk assesment of the soils, and may support planning safer and more sustainable urban playground areas; these findings could assist developers in planning projects for a more efficient use of land, or in studies assessing children’s health risks, or in studies concerning the soil contamination and related legislation which is not sufficiently regulated in Bosnia and Herzegovina.