This work deals with bioaccumulation of Zn, Pb, Cu and Cd in foliage of Scots pine, grown on mine soils. Regression models were used to describe relationships between pine elements bioavailability and biological (dehydrogenase activity) and physico-chemical properties of mine soils developed at different parental rocks. Concentration of trace elements in post-mine ecosystems did not differ from...

The spider webs of Malthonica ferruginea (Panzer, 1804) from the Agelenidae family were used for the evaluation of heavy metal contamination, and major and trace elements presence in the air of Wrocław, Poland. The concentrations of 16 elements were determined (Mg, Al, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, W, Pt, and Pb). Samples of webs were collected from six different locations with low,...

Cultivable bacterial strains associated with field-grown Brassica napus L. (soil, rhizosphere and roots) from a trace elements (Cd, Zn and Pb) contaminated field and a non-contaminated control field were characterized genotypically and phenotypically. Correspondence analysis of the genotypic data revealed a correlation between soil and rhizosphere communities isolated from the same field, indic...

The effect of lead application on nutrient and Pb content and accumulation in ipê-roxo (Tabebuia impetiginosa (Mart.) Standl.) seedlings was studied in an experiment conducted under greenhouse conditions at the Soil Science Department of the Federal University of Lavras. The seedlings were cultivated in Clark nutrient solution and submitted to increasing Pb levels: 0, 48, 96, 192 and 288 μmol/l...

The Scots pine is often used in the biomonitoring of forests. Studies on the chemical composition plus variability of its needles morphological structure allow for an assessment of the state of environmental pollution. However, in their natural populations, the response of individual trees to stress differs. This study reports on the influence of long-term soil contamination with trace elements...

Present study consists geochemical variations and spatial distribution of trace elements (Fe, Mn, Cr, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) of the ocean floor sediments collected along the continental shelf off East coast Tamil Nadu (Chennai to Velanganni) during the 2009 southwest monsoon period. Results indicate sand dominance with abundant calcareous debris and shell fragments. Normalisation of trace metal...

This study presents trace elements levels in surface and deep sediments of the Toulon bay (SE France) subjected to anthropogenic inputs (navy base, harbors, etc.). The studied elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn) are defined as priority contaminants in aquatic systems. Fifty-five points scattered on the entire bay were sampled, allowing the determination of contaminants distribution with a...

Determination of trace element concentrations in atmospheric aerosols is important because of their toxic effects on human health. Additionally, they are now widely used in source apportionment studies. There is a number of methods for sample preparation of ambient particulate matter. One of the most widely used is microwave-assisted digestion of filter-based samples. Since the water-soluble fr...

Precision in electron microprobe analysis is primarily a matter of counting statistics, and involves voltage, beam current, counting time, and geometric efficiency. Besides potential issues with dead-time correction and beam damage, counting statistics do not significantly affect the accuracy of major and minor element analyses. Accuracy chiefly depends on standards and matrix correction. Addit...

Trace elements were analyzed in fish of commercial interest to determine their importance in marine systems of the Western Indian Ocean and their bioaccumulation patterns. The results are equivalent or lower than levels reported in ichthyofauna worldwide. Certain values of muscular Cd, Hg, Pb and Zn were, however, above thresholds for human consumption. Levels varied among tissues, species and ...