Pine needles (Pinus Sylvestris) as a bioindicator of sulphur and heavy metal deposition in the area around a pulp and paper mill complex at Kemi, northern Finland

The determination of sulphur and heavy metals in plants is an integral part of many environmental studies. Pine needles (Pinus Sylvestris) have proved to be suitable air quality indicators for pollutants, especially for sulph ur. This study was carried out in the vicinity of Kemi, a town situated on the Gulf of Bothnia in northern Finland. An industrial complex comprising t wo pulp and paper mills is located in the centre of the area. Scots pine (P inus Sylvestris) needles were collected from 29 sampling sites. The samples were dried, homogenized and digested with nitric acid. The concentrations of the elements S, Fe, Zn, Ca, V, and Ph were determined by ICP-AES. Accord ing to our results pine needles (Pinus sylvestris) appear to be an ideal bi oindicator and sampling material for identifying and assessing atmospheric sulphur pollution derived from pulp and paper mills and can complement the information provided by plant mapping studies around pulp and paper mills.