Russia: Soil pollution in Norilsk caused by Norilsk Nickel’s enterprises, new study shows
Assessing urban soils in the Norilsk industrial region based on heavy metal and petroleum product pollution indices, 5 November 2025
The soil condition of Norilsk, a large industrial city located in the Arctic zone of Russia, was assessed for the first time using pollution indices calculated based on the gross content of Pb, Zn, Co, Cd, Cu, Ni, Cr, Mn, As, and petroleum products. The Nemerov Pollution Index (NPI) classifies all Norilsk soil samples as polluted. According to the PLI index, 86% of the soil samples were characterized as polluted, and according to the total pollution index (Zc), 56% of the soil samples were classified as moderately hazardous and hazardous polluted. All soil samples had a medium, high, or very high environmental risk. The high level of soil pollution in Norilsk and the crucial role of nonferrous metallurgy as the primary source of these metals are confirmed. Pollutant content in the soil varied in different districts of Norilsk, with Mn and petroleum products being significant. The maximum heavy metal pollution occurred in the soils of the enterprise protection zones and in the soil of the industrial zones. Airborne pollutants from industrial enterprises are the main cause of heavy metal soil pollution in the Norilsk agglomeration...
The main industries are mining and smelting of ore to produce Ni, Cu, Co, Pt, Pd, and other rare earth metals, and coal mining. Airborne emissions include Ni, Cu, Co, Pb, Se, NOx, COx, SO2, H2S, phenol, and the radioisotopes Sr-90 and Cs-137. The main source of pollution is Norilsk Nickel’s enterprises, including the Nadezhda metallurgical plant, copper plant, and Talnakh ore enrichment plant.
In the west of the Central District, the copper plant is located; the distance from the border of the enterprise to the residential area is about 550 m. Then...7 km away—the Medvezhy Ruchey quarry for the extraction of copper–nickel ore. The Nadezhdinsky metallurgical plant is located 8.5 km to the west of the Central District...In the immediate vicinity of Talnakh in the northern and northwestern direction, there is the Komsomolsky mine (300 m from the residential area), the ore enrichment plant (600 m)...and the Oktyabrsky mine (3.1 km).
Soil pollution in Norilsk is one of the most acute environmental problems caused by the intensive industrial activity of the mining and metallurgical complex. Urban soils are polluted by heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Co, and Pb), SO2, and oil products.