Increased concentrations of nitrophenols in leaves from a damaged forestalsite

A class of organic micropollutants, the phytotoxic nitrophenols, were analy sed in the vegetation (beech leaves), from two different alpine sites (Val Gerola and Val Masino) in the Lombardy Region (Northern Italy), using gas c hromatography-mass spectrometry. Leaves from the more damaged site (Val Gerola) had higher mean total nitrop henol concentrations (313 ng/g) than the Val Masino samples (148 ng/g). Sin ce the dinitrophenol levels in leaves are close to the concentrations exert ing a phytotoxic effect in vitro, these pollutants presumably have an activ e role in the symptoms of tree diseases in these alpine sites.