HEAVY METAL CONCENTRATION IN LEAVES OF Melia azedarach AS A BIOMONITOR OF TRAFFIC-RELATED AIR POLLUTION

摘要

Traffic-related air pollution causes a problem for human health and urban ecosystem. Plants along the streets of urban area are considered as an important alternative in order to remove air pollutants including heavy metals and thus increasing the air quality. This study aims to determine heavy metal concentration in leaves of Melia azedarach that is commonly planted along the streets of Antakya, the central district of Hatay (Turkey). Since it is a deciduous tree, sampling was conducted in July and October 2014, so that the accumulation process during summer and autumn was clearly presented. The results showed that this plant did not accumulate Cd in the leaves; but the other elements were mainly accumulated in July rather than October. When the results were taken into account, M. azedarach can accepted as a biomonitor for traffic-related air pollution including heavy metals.