An environmental risk assessment map of the Slovak Republic:: application of data from geochemical atlases

A methodology for the assessment and visualization of environmental risk levels is presented in this paper. National geochemical databases served as the main source of data for the compilation of environmental risk assessment maps for individual environments of the Slovak Republic, including soils, groundwater and stream sediments. Environmental risk was computed from individual geochemical analyses as a ratio of risk element concentrations (predicted environmental concentration, PEC) to concentrations with assumedly no adverse impact on biota and ecological systems (predicted no effect concentrations, PNEC). The integration of separately evaluated assessments of environmental risks for soils, groundwater and stream sediments are now consolidated in a comprehensive environmental risk assessment map. The comprehensive map provides complex evaluation of the environmental risks resulting from contaminated geological environments. The environmental risk level can be easily transformed to any regional or administrative units-geomorphological units, catchments, districts, cadastral units etc.