Abstract
The main objective of the current research is to determine the content of heavy metals from the Bistrita river banks, respectively
upstream of Bacau city, Romania, in Bogdan Voda area, and downstream of Bacau city. Because of their bio-accumulation
tendency heavy metals can generate a negative impact on soil, as well as on certain physiological and biochemical indicators of
plants and animals metabolism. The selection of sampling points (upstream and downstream of Bacau city) took into
consideration the areas where the pollution sources are located and where the sediment layer is thick, having the granulosity level
less than 63 μm. We found that the Maximum Allowable Concentrations (MAC) were not exceeded in the case of cadmium,
chrome, lead and mercury in the soil for sampling points upstream of Bacau city, in Bogdan-Voda area. The same situation was
observed in the case of arsenic in sampling points upstream and downstream of Bacau city. Exceeding values recorded in the
sampling point upstream of Bacau city, in Bogdan-Voda area (for nickel and copper) and downstream of Bacau city (for
cadmium, nickel, chrome, copper, zinc, lead, mercury) resulted from discharged wastewaters and improper storage of municipal
waste.