The research carried out in the Niepołomicka Forest near Kraków (southern Poland) on a pleistocene terrace of the Wisła river assessed the impact made by a mass grave on the concentration of chemical components in its vicinity. The soil in this area is temporarily moist sand with an admixture of clayey minerals in the upper part of the soil profi le. The concentrations of chemical components in the soil, common hair moss, pine-tree resin, bracket fungus, and air in the area of the mass grave were compared with those determined at 10 sites in southern Poland having similar natural conditions. As follows from the research, a mass grave has a signifi cant impact on its environment: relatively high amounts of the elements derived from human corpses, such as P, S, N, C, Cl, Na and Ca, were found in the vicinity of the grave in the Niepołomicka Forest. An elevated concentration of P in the soil and air was especially characteristic of this area. The bracket fungus showed relatively higher concentrations of heavy metals.

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