title: Airborne foliar transfer of PM bound heavy metals in Cassia siamea: A less common route of heavy metal accumulation.
abstract: In order to investigate possible foliar transfer of toxic heavy metals, concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Fe were measured in samples of: Cassia siamea leaves (a common tree) Cassia siamea foliar dust, nearby road dust, and soil (Cassia siamea tree roots) at six different sites in/around the Bilaspur industrial area and a control site on the university campus. Bilaspur is located in a subtropical central Indian region. The enrichment factor (EF) values of Pb and Cd, when derived using the crustal and measured soil Fe data as reference, indicated significant anthropogenic contributions to Pb and Cd regional pollution. Based on correlation analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations, it was evident that Pb and Cd in foliar part of Cassia siamea were largely from airborne sources. The SEM studies of leaf confirmed that leaf morphology (epidermis, trichome, and stomata) of Cassia siamea helped accumulate the toxic metals from deposited particulate matter (PM). There is a line of evidence that the leaf of Cassia siamea was able to entrap PM in respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) range (i.e., both in fine and coarse fractions). The overall results of this study suggest that Cassia siamea can be a potential plant species to control the pollution of PM and PM-bound metals (Pb and Cd) in affected areas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Guru Ghasidas Central University, Bilaspur 495009, CG, India.
authors.forename: Triratnesh
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gajbhiye
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Guru Ghasidas Central University, Bilaspur 495009, CG, India. Electronic address: skpbhu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sudhir Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Pandey
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: kkim61@hanyang.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Ki-Hyun
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Szulejko
authors.affiliation: Department of Analytical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Toxicological Research, Lucknow 226001, India.
authors.forename: Satgur
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prasad
mesh_terms: D065966:Absorption, Physicochemical; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D002366:Cassia / Q000737:chemistry*; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D007194:India; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry*; D014919:Wind
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D004391:Dust; D019216:Metals, Heavy
keywords: Dust; Enrichment; Leaf; Metal; Phytomonitoring; SEM