Discriminating foliar adhered from metabolised Pb when monitoring vegetation exposed to windborne contamination

Tibbett, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0143-2190, Lardner, T. and De Oliveira, V. H. (2025) Discriminating foliar adhered from metabolised Pb when monitoring vegetation exposed to windborne contamination. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 484. 136807. ISSN 0304-3894 doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136807

Abstract/Summary

Monitoring heavy metals in vegetation near mining or industrial sites is crucial for detecting plant contamination; requiring discrimination between metals adhered to foliar surfaces from the internal concentrations. We investigated key factors that might contribute to lead (Pb) accumulation in leaves of local vegetation near a Pb mine: (i) distance from the pollutant source, (ii) morphological characteristics of leaf surfaces, (iii) their susceptibility to Pb loss by washing, and (iv) the effect of contrasting washing reagents in Pb removal. Native plant species were sampled at three field locations, possessing different leaf surface morphologies: glabrous (smooth), resinous (waxy) and hirsute (hairy). After washing with Citranox, EDTA or deionised water, Pb contents were assessed by ICP-OES and SEM-EDX. We observed an order of Pb (and other metals) retention from hirsute > resinous > glabrous, and found: i) greater Pb accumulation in leaves near the mine due to particulate matter (PM) deposition; ii) hirsute leaves retain the highest PM-Pb; iii) higher Pb removal (10-fold) by Citranox and EDTA compared to water; and iv) hirsute leaves retained considerable PM-Pb underneath trichomes despite washing, leading to Pb overestimation. Therefore, for accurate Pb monitoring, washed glabrous leaves are best indicated due to their negligible PM retention.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/119855
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Interdisciplinary centres and themes > Soil Research Centre Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development > Department of Sustainable Land Management > Centre for Agri-environmental Research (CAER)
Publisher	Elsevier
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