Heavy metals in the chemical composition of edible plants and game animals living in reclaimed areas

One of the environmental problems of the Kemerovo region is the return of coal mining sites to the forest area. In part, this problem is solved through reclamation. More than 1000 km2 of land in the region is in need for it. Studies have shown that areas reclaimed 30–40 years ago are regularly used by the local population as recreation areas. In coniferous and deciduous forests, as well as sea buckthorn thickets, formed on the site of coal mines dumps, berries of Hippophae rhamnoides L., 1753, Fragaria vesca L., 1753, pileate fungi are actively collected, and amateur hunting for birds feeding on berries is also carried out. Samples of fruiting bodies of mushrooms of the Agaricomycetes class, strawberries and sea buckthorn berries, as well as Lyrurus tetrix (Linnaeus, 1758) have been taken from reclaimed dumps of coal enterprises in the Kemerovo and Novokuznetsk districts of the region. Their analysis for the presence of Hg, Cd, Cu, As and Pb has not revealed an excess of the content of elements to a level hazardous to health. However, in most cases, concentration of heavy metals in the samples collected from the remediated dumps is higher compared to the samples from the control undisturbed areas.