title: Plant uptake of trace elements on a Swiss military shooting range: uptake pathways and land management implications.
abstract: Over 400tons of Pb enters Swiss soils annually at some 2000 military shooting ranges (MSRs). We measured elements in the leaves of 10 plant species and associated rhizospheric soil on the stop butt of a disused MSR. The geometric mean concentrations of Pb, Sb, Cu, Ni in rhizospheric soils were 10,171mg/kg, 5067mg/kg, 4125mg/kg and 917mg/kg. Some species contained Pb, Cu and Ni, above concentrations (30mg/kg, 25mg/kg and 50mg/kg) shown to be toxic to livestock. Most contaminants in leaves resulted from surface deposition. However, at soil Pb concentrations >60,000mg/kg, Equisetum arvense and Tussilago farfara took up >1000mg/kg Pb into the leaves. These plants are not hyperaccumulators, having <100mg/kg Pb in leaves at lower soil concentrations. Removal of soil with more than 30,000 Pb, from which one could smelt this metal to offset remediation costs, followed by revegetation, would minimise dust and hence leaf-borne contaminants.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Universitätstrasse 16, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland. brett.robinson@env.ethz.ch
authors.forename: Brett H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bischofberger
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stoll
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schroer
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Furrer
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roulier
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gruenwald
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Attinger
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schulin
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D000965:Antimony / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D003300:Copper / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods; D044709:Forensic Ballistics; D006256:Hazardous Waste; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D009532:Nickel / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D013557:Switzerland
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D006256:Hazardous Waste; D008670:Metals; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D007854:Lead; D003300:Copper; D009532:Nickel; D000965:Antimony