Medical Hydrology and Balneology: Environmental Aspects

Thalasso medical centre in the saltpans of
Secovlje (Portoroz, Slovenia)
Glavas N (1) , Kovac N (1) , Jurjec J (2)
(1) Marine Biology Station, National Institute of Biology, Piran, Slovenia
(2) Salt production Co. Ltd. Portoroz. Slovenia
glavas@mbss.org
Introduction and Objectives
Secovlje salt pans are the northernmost saltworks in the Adriatic Sea and one of
the few in the Mediterranean area where salt is still produced in the traditional
manual way. Salt is recovered from the sea water by solar evaporation and during
this process two side products are produced, salt pan mud (fango) and brine. The
healing properties of these products are well known since the Middle Ages and are
still used today. The area of Portoroz it’s a known Slovenian health resort with
more than a century of tradition in the wellness tourism. Because of that the company
SOLINE d.o.o., which manages the Saltpans of Secovlje decided to bring
thalassotheraphy and therapeutic medical treatments directly to the healing source
by creating the Thalasso medical centre in the saltpans. This unique centre is currently
under construction and planned to open its doors in spring 2012. The complex
will be carefully inserted in the natural reserve and designed as a minimal
intervention in a protected cultural and natural landscape. The facilities for a variety
of therapeutic purposes will cover an area of around 4700 m2 and will include:
sunbathing, swimming, massages, medical gymnastics in the seawater, knaiping,
brine baths, brine inhalation, salt peelings and salt pan mud (fango) baths and other
therapies. Despite the long-lasting tradition in the use of salt-pan mud there is a lack
in the determination of its composition and healing effects. We here present the
general chemical composition of selected mud samples and the preliminary results
of the pilot study of salt-pan mud maturation.
Materials and Methods
Mud samples collected in 2009 were freeze-dried and homogenized. FT-IR spectra
were obtained using Perkin-Elmer Spectrum One spectrometer. The organic
carbon and total nitrogen contents were determined with Elementar VARIO Micro
analyzer. Cabohydrates were determined after Dubois, while the proteints ware
determined using the Bradford reagent. The geochemical analysis included: mineral
compositions by XRD, multi-elemental compostition by XRF and granulometry.
The same approach was used with the monthly collected sampled from the pilot
study.
Balnea
2012, núm. 6, 110-111
110
ISBN: 978-84-669-1887-0
978-84-669-3482-4