Biomonitoring of polyaromatic hydrocarbon accumulation in rural gardens using lettuce plants

摘要

Purpose Air pollution in settlements is one of the most important factors affecting human health. While urban gardening and the consumption of home-grown vegetables have become more and more popular, several studies establish the risk of consuming vegetables exposed to toxic air pollutants, especially polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, these studies mostly concern the risk in larger cities or in industrial areas while much less information is available in rural environments. Methods In our study, small settlements were selected for a pot accumulation study. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) plants were exposed for a 2-month period; PAH concentrations were determined both from the vegetable samples and pot soils. Results In the lettuce samples, the concentration of total PAHs was in the range of 9.1 (Liter) and 185 mu g/kg dry wt (Hajmasker), in the soil samples in the range of 31.6 (Liter) and 595.1 mu g/kg wt (Harskut). Four ring PAHs showed the highest tendency to accumulate in the majority of soil samples. Conclusion PAH concentrations in some of the sampled villages were comparable to results reported from relatively polluted regions in the world. Source appointment revealed that biomass burning and fossil fuel usage were the major sources of PAHs in rural environment; in addition, the study highlighted how important it could be to analyze individual pollution sources.