Ei. Hozhina et al., Uptake of heavy metals, arsenic, and antimony by aquatic plants in the vicinity of ore mining and processing industries, J GEOCHEM E, 74(1-3), 2001, pp. 153-162
The uptake of heavy metals, As, and Sb by aquatic plants - fluvial horsetai
l, platyphyllous cattail, etc. - growing in industrial collection ponds of
metal mining industry in the Kemerovo region, Russia, was studied. Cu, Pb,
Cd, Zn, As, and Sb are the major pollutants in these plant habitats. The el
emental concentrations in plants, their acid extracts, and the bulk water c
hemistry were determined by flame and electrothermal atomic absorption spec
trophotometry. Sediments were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence. The analytica
l data obtained demonstrate high pollutant concentrations in sediments, wat
er, and plants, especially in their roots. Submerged hornwort and pond scum
were shown to be hyperaccumulators. The heavy metal concentrations in the
plants exceed the corresponding concentrations in the habitat (water) by te
ns of thousand times. Analysis of fresh platyphyllous cattail acid extracts
has demonstrated that As and Sb present a serious threat to human and anim
al health, as they are capable of entering food chains in large amounts. (C
) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.