The Survey of Atmospheric Deposition of Heavy Metal in Albania by Using Moss Biomonitoring and Icp/aes and Naa Technique

The atmospheric deposition of As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Ni, V, and Zn in Albania was investigated by using the carpet-forming moss species (Hypnum cupressiforme) as bioindicators. This research is a part of the international program (International Cooperative Programme (ICP) Vegetation, UNECE) that had carried out in the most of European countries since 1987, by investigating the impacts of air pollutants on crops and natural vegetation. Sampling was carried out during the dry seasons of autumn 2010 and summer 2011 at 62 sites distributed all over Albania. Unwashed, dried samples were totally digested by using microwave digestion, and the concentrations of metal elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The results reflect local emission points. The concentrations of median values were compared with other Balkan countries and to other European countries.. The median values of chromium (4.75 mg/kg, dry weight (DW)), iron (1,618 mg/kg, DW), nickel (5.85 mg/kg, DW), vanadium (3.51 mg/kg,DW), zinc (13.77 mg/kg, DW), and aluminum (6,974 mg/kg, DW) are similar to those of neighboring countries but higher than those of European countries. The certain local emitters were identified like the iron-chromium metallurgy and cement industry, oil refinery, mining industry, and transport. In addition, natural sources, such as the accumulation of these metals in mosses caused by metal-enriched soils, associated with the wind blowing soils dust particularly in the southeast direction of the country, were pointed as another local emitting factor.