Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether the degree of air pollution can be evaluated via examination of local plants. Selected sites included two parks in an industrial area, as well as two parks in an urban area. Selected plant samples comprised one-year-old pine shoot leaves. Leaves growing over 2 m from the ground were collected from over 10 pine trees. Leaf surface was analyzed for deposition of 14 trace elements and 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including particle size and mass, surface imaging, precipitation-mediated particle removal rate, and concentration. Particle size ranged from 0.4 to 200 μm, and the volume percentage of particles ≤10 was 20 %. Deposited particle mass ranged from 0.450-0.825 mg, and precipitation-mediated removal rate ranged from 10.0-27.6 %. Trace element concentration, as measured by ICP/MS after microwave acid digestion, was 18.8-26.3 mg/kg As, 0.08-0.13 mg/kg Be, 0.06-0.08 mg/kg Cd, 4.91-17.8 mg/kg Cr, 5.26-405 mg/kg Cu, 1,930-2,670 mg/kg Fe, 3.03-28.1 mg/kg Pb, 26.9-42.8 mg/kg Mn, 2.66-10.4 mg/kg Ni, 4,560-8,730 mg/kg Al, 2,500-6,120 mg/kg Ba, 5.27-17.8 mg/kg Rb, 40.9-95.3 mg/ kg Sr, and 4,030-8,260 mg/kg Zn. Concentration of PAHs, as analyzed by GC/MS/MS after liquid-liquid extraction and purification of deposited particles, ranged from 1.17 to 12.378 mg/kg for ΣPAH16 and from 1.17 to 12.378 mg/kg for ΣPAH7.