Lead isotopic and chalcophile element compositions in the environment neara zinc smelting-secondary zinc recovery facility, Palmerton, Pennsylvania,USA

The environment surrounding Palmerton, Pennsylvania is contaminated with Pb arising from primary Zn smelting and a process involving Zn recovery from electric are steel furnace dusts. Lead isotope systematics have been used t o distinguish primary Zn smelting Pb (Pb-206/Pb-204 similar to 18.4-18.5) f rom electric are furnace dust lead (Pb-206/Pb-204 similar to 19.0-19.1). Pr imary Zn smelting is the dominant source of Pb in O2 horizon soils from und isturbed near-Palmerton locations, which contain up to 3570 ppm Pb and 782 ppm Cd. Soils from undeveloped near-Palmerton locations also exhibit unusua lly elevated concentrations of other sphalerite-derived chalcophilic elemen ts (Se, Ag, In, Sb, Te, Au, Hg, Tl and Bi); indium concentrations of up to 17.0 ppm are observed therein. Residential soils and dusts from Palmerton c ontain Pb which is largely explainable via mixing of Pb from primary Zn sme lting and electric are furnace dusts. Approximately 80% of the Pb in airbor ne particulate matter sampled at Palmerton in 1991 is derived from electric are furnace dusts, and atmospheric enrichment factors for Cu, Sb, Pb, and Bi are observed which confirm this major source contribution. Residential s amples from a control location contain Pb which is less radiogenic than is found in Palmerton, and exhibit no unusual elevation in sphalerite elements . Lead source discrimination in the Palmerton environment via Pb isotopic a nd elemental constituents approaches result in parallel conclusions. (C) 20 00 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.