The use of bioindicator plants to assess potentially toxic elements in airborne particulate matter

Air pollution is a major problem stemming from urbanisation1. Among anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic causes, vehicular traffic is regarded as the major source of potentially toxic elements (PTE) in urban air. Since PTE are not biodegradable, their concentration in the environment is constantly increasing. This is of concern because PTE associated with airborne particles can be harmful to human health2 .
Bioindicator plants can be used to determine the levels and distribution of PTE in the environment. They can accumulate particulate matter from air in their leaves, stems or thalli, and these can subsequently be analysed by atomic spectrometry techniques such as atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
This PhD project aims to assess the utility of bioindicator plants for environmental monitoring. The first step was to carry out a literature review of the types of plant species that have been used, the locations where they had been studied, and the results obtained. Lichens, mosses, ornamental, landscape and wild plants have all been investigated. However, ornamental and landscape species are most suitable for use in urban areas. It was found that plants from industrial areas, urban streets, roadsides, and urban parks and open spaces accumulated high levels of PTE in their aerial parts. There is therefore considerable scope for greater use of bioindicator plant species to help recognize source of pollution and improve air quality by reducing PTE concentration in the urban environment.


1.Turkyilmaz, A.; Sevik, H.; Cetin, M.; Saleh, E., Changes in Heavy Metal Accumulation Depending on Traffic Density in Some Landscape Plants. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies 2018, 27 (5), 2277-2284.
2.Ali, M. U.; Liu, G.; Yousaf, B.; Abbas, Q.; Ullah, H.; Munir, M. A. M.; Fu, B., Pollution characteristics and human health risks of potentially (eco)toxic elements (PTEs) in road dust from metropolitan area of Hefei, China. Chemosphere 2017, 181, 111-121.