Use of Lichen and Moss in Assessment of Forest Contamination with Heavy Metals in Praded and Glacensis Euroregions (Poland and Czech Republic).

The concentrations of selected metals-Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb-were determined in the samples of Hypogymnia physodes lichen and Pleurozium schreberi moss collected in Polish and Czech Euroregions Praded and Glacensis. More specifically, the samples were collected in Bory Stobrawskie, Bory Niemodlinskie, and Kotlina Klodzka (Poland) and in Jeseniki (Czech Republic). The concentration of metals in the samples was measured using the atomic absorption spectrometry (flame AAS technique and electrothermal atomization AAS technique). The results were used to calculate the comparison factor (CF) that quantifies the difference in concentration of a given bioavailable analyte × accumulated in lichens and mosses: CF = 2 (c(x,lichen) - c(x,moss)) (c(x,lichen) + c(x,moss))(-1). The values of CF greater than 0.62 indicate the most probable location of heavy metals deposited in the considered area. In this work, the method was used to show a significant contribution of urban emissions to the deposition of heavy metals in the area of Bory Stobrawskie and in the vicinity of Klodzko City.

Algae utilization in assessment of the large Turawa Lake (Poland) pollution with heavy metals.

This investigation was undertaken to determine the applicability of algae for the assessment of contamination level of water reservoirs with heavy metals. The alga Spirogyra sp. collected in the littoral zone of the Large Turawa Lake (artificial lake in Southern Poland) was used for the study. The concentrations of heavy metals accumulated in the alga inhabiting a flow-through water basin of the Large Turawa Lake were found to correlate with sources of these metals, such as benthic sediments and contaminated watercourses. The highest concentrations of metals were found in alga samples collected at the outlet of the lake: c (Mn) = 12330 mg/kg dry mass, c (Fe) = 15059 mg/kg d.m., c (Cu) = 47.5 mg/kg d.m., c (Zn) = 1411 mg/kg d.m., c (Cd) = 108.8 mg/kg d.m., and c (Pb) = 684 mg/kg d.m. The metals originated from benthic sediments (sapropelic mud) deposited close to the outlet of the lake. Statistically significant differences in the concentrations of cadmium accumulated in the alga were found between samples from the sites, where cadmium occurred in sandy sediments (max. 27.6 mg/kg d.m.), and samples from the sites located far from the contaminated sediments (max. 12.8 mg/kg d.m.).