Atmospheric Deposition of Trace Elements in Romania Studied by the Moss Biomonitoring Technique

The first systematic study in Romania of atmospheric pollution from heavy metals and other toxic elements based on moss analysis was undertaken as a Romanian–Russian–Norwegian collaboration, primarily in order to assess the general state of heavy metal pollution in Romania. An additional goal was to contribute to the European heavy metals in mosses survey, conducted under the auspices UNECE ICP Vegetation which reports to the Working Group of Effects of the Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution Convention. Samples of the moss species Hypnum cupressiforme, Hylocomium splendens and Brachytechium salebrosum and B. rutabulum were collected during the period 1995–2001. A total of 40 elements were determined using NAA and AAS. The total concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper, nickel, vanadium and zinc are presented in the form of contour maps. Generally, the observed concentrations in Romania are markedly higher than those observed in most other countries of Europe using the moss technique.     

Roe Deer Antlers as a Historical Bioindicator of Lead Pollution in the Šalek Valley, Slovenia

Antlers of different deer species are of particular importance for assessing temporal and/or spatial variations in environmental pollution with bone-seeking pollutants, such as Pb. Since antlers have a well-defined annual growth cycle, they accumulate Pb during a seasonally fixed time span, which provides natural standardisation of samples. Moreover, they are kept as trophies in well-dated collections enabling their use in historical studies. Considering these benefits, Pb levels were determined (by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after the wet digestion of samples) in 116 antlers of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.), shot in the period 1961–2002 in the vicinity of the largest Slovene thermal power plant of otanj (TPP). Irrespective of the year of antler growth and the age of the animal analysed (no age-dependent influences were revealed), Pb levels ranged from 0.20 to 7.28 mg kg^–1 (mean: 1.32 ± 0.19 mg kg^–1), with the highest contents in the oldest and the lowest contents in the most recent samples. Since the mid-1960s, lead pollution has continuously decreased in the study area; three very evident drops (after 1975, 1985 and 1995, respectively) indicate the combined effect of three different remediation measures as follows: construction of a remote heating system in the seventies; introduction of unleaded petrol in the late-1980s, and construction of clean-up devices at the TPP in the late-1990s. The high positive correlation between the annual emissions from the TPP and the mean yearly Pb levels in antlers showed that roe deer antlers may be an useful tool for assessing temporal trends of ambient Pb pollution.     

Pollen Viability for Air Pollution Bio-Monitoring

Biological characterization of Corylus avellana L. and Pinus nigra L. pollen samples was carried out to determine the actual value of pollen as a bio-indicator of the effects of atmospheric pollution, using samples from plants naturally developed in sites controlled for air pollution. In Trentino (North Italy), we selected six stations at three different levels of air pollution, which are constantly monitored with automatic gauges by the Environmental Protection Agency of Trento.First results showed that pollen viability of both species, germinability and pollen tube length of P. nigra, were higher in areas with no road traffic compared to heavy traffic ones. Pollen viability of P. nigra was positively correlated to ozone (O₃) concentrations and altitude but negatively to sulphur dioxide (SO₂), particulate matter with a diameter less than 10 m (PM₁₀), nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations.     

Heavy Metal Accumulation in the Lichen Evernia prunastri Transplanted at Urban, Rural and Industrial Sites in Central Italy

The lichen Evernia prunastri has been employed for biomonitoring the atmospheric deposition of heavy metals at urban, rural and industrial sites in Central Italy. Lichen samples have been collected in a control site 1500 m a. s. l. (Parco Nazionale dAbruzzo, Central Italy) and subsequently transplanted at urban site (Cassino city center), at rural location 7 km away from Cassino (S. Elia Fiumerapido) and at industrial location (Piedimonte S. Germano) surrounding an automobile factory. Once defined the surface of impact relevant to this work, the lichen samples were transplanted at the four cardinal points of each site. Studies of bioaccumulation of Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu and Zn in lichen samples were performed five times at regular intervals between November 2000–December 2001. Microwave digestion of the samples and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry were employed for the heavy metal determinations. Suitable certified reference materials (CRM) were used for validation of the analytical methodology. Results showed the ability of Evernia prunastri to accumulate the heavy metals under study. As expected, the area chosen as control site showed significantly (Friedman test, cluster analysis) lower impact in comparison to the other sites and the rural site showed smaller impact than the urban and the industrial sites.