Historiska emissioner av bly och arsenik till luft från Åfors Glasbruk och deras konsekvenser för miljön.

Sammanfattning: Åfors glasswork was a company which started in 1876 and closed in 2012 due to the bad economical situation in the company. After its closure, the glasswork left behind contaminated soil with different concentrations of heavy metals such as, arsenic from arsenic trioxide, a chemical used to remove bubbles during the melting of glass, and lead oxide, a chemical used in the production of crystal glass. Crystal glass’s production occurred under 1921-1971, but emissions of lead into the air from Åfors glasswork continued until 2011, because of the artist Bertil Valliens’ artglas was made in Åfors glasswork from 1970’s and onwards. The aim of this study was to estimate how much lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) that were released by Åfors Glasswork into the atmosphere during the operational period of the glasswork in comparison with how much of lead and arsenic were purchased for the company. Added to the assistance of the data from National Archives the variations in the activities of Åfors glasswork could be shown. Finally the study aimed to show the influence of such substances to the environment.  The data that could be collected included information from Åfors glasswork under 1900-1961 and under 1993 -2011. Emission of lead into the air during the period 1900-2011 was about 9 700 kg lead, and the company purchased  approximately 170 000 kg lead oxide under operational period. About the emissions of arsenic to the air during the period 1972-2011 were about 22 kg  of As . Estimations during the period 1900-1971 for arsenic could not be implemented due to lack of information, so probably totals emissions of arsenic could be significantly higher. The knowledge of the amount of metals emitted to the air during all these years helps to present an idea about how polluted the soil, sediment and water around the glasswork may be. It is of most importance to know that lead and arsenic are very stable substances that remain in place for a very long time. This is why those areas must and should be cleaned.