ABSTRACT:In this study, the pine tree (Pinus Eldarica Medw.) needles were evaluated as the biomonitors of heavy metal contamination in Tehran, Iran. The pine needle samples supplied from the old trees according to the main wind direction (highest wind speed) were obtained from each parts of tree and then were homogeneously mixed. The samples were taken from different locations with different degrees of metal pollution (urban, industrial, highway and control sites). Then, the concentrations of lead, zinc, copper, nickel and chromium were measured using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The result of this study showed that the highest and the lowest metal concentrations were found in the heavy traffic sites and the control site, respectively. However, samples taken from highway sites contained the high concentrations of nickel, copper and lead. Moreover, industrial areas were found to have high contents of zinc and chromium. The variation in heavy metal concentrations between the studied locations is due to changes in traffic density and anthropogenic activities. This research proved significant correlations between the heavy metal concentrations in pine needle samples. Finally, it is concluded that Pinus Eldarica Medw. needles can be applied to monitor polluted sites.
Bio-monitoring of air quality in TehranCity was investigated by analyzing 36 pine tree (Pinus eldarica Medw.) barks. The samples were taken from different locations with different degrees of metal pollution (urban, industrial, highway, and control sites). Then, the concentrations of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr) were measured using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results of this study showed that the highest and lowest metal concentrations were found in the heavy traffic sites and the control site, respectively. Lead content was found to be the highest in high traffic density areas. The industrial part of the city was characterized by high Zn, Cr, and Ni contents. Variation in heavy metal concentrations between sites was observed and attributed to differences in traffic density and anthropogenic activities. The research also confirms the suitability of Pinus eldarica Medw barks as a suitable bio-indicator of aerial fallout of heavy metals.
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