The Arsenic-Antimony-Creek at Sauerbrunn/Burgenland/Austria: A Toxic Habitat for Amphibians

(1) Background: All Austrian amphibians are affected by the degradation of habitats.
Mining contributes to habitat destruction by the formation of spoil heaps and mine drainage waters.
In Stadtschlaining/Burgenland, antimony mining led to increased arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb)
concentrations in soil and water. This study investigates a contaminated creek, still inhabited by
amphibians. (2) Methods: Water and soil were analyzed along the creek and correlated with the
occurrence of amphibians. (3) Results: As and Sb were increased, with up to 49,000 mg/kg As and
2446 mg/kg Sb in the soil. Up to 317 mg/kg As and 156 mg/kg Sb became bioavailable under gastric,
and up to 298 mg/kg As and 30 mg/kg Sb under intestinal conditions, and were absorbed upon
ingestion of soil. Larvae of Salamandra salamandra were found throughout the creek; survival rates
were low. Rana temporaria occurs in the most contaminated sections but does not propagate here.
Bombina variegata appears occasionally. Amphibians seem not to be able to detect and avoid metal or
metalloid contamination. (4) Conclusion: Survival of larvae is dubious, but adult amphibians survive
without apparent damage under severe metalloid contamination