Atmospheric lead pollution of grass grown in a background area in Denmark

Jens Christian Tjell, Mads Frederik Hovmand, Hans Mosbak

76 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

LEAD in the atmosphere of the Northern Hemisphere originates mostly from lead-alkyl petrol additives emitted from car exhausts1. A small proportion of this lead-Estimated at about 10%2,3-Is deposited within 50-100 m of the road while the rest is presumably transported long distances before deposition. There are reports of increasing concentrations of lead in roadside vegetation with decreasing distance from the edge of the road 1,4,5. This apparent lead contamination ceases beyond 100-200 m from the road, and it is said therefore that airborne lead is not a significant source of lead in crops in general5-7, although there is circumstantial evidence to the contrary8,9. We report here, however, that the lead taken up by grass in a remote rural area is predominantly from the atmosphere.

Original languageEnglish
JournalNature
Volume280
Issue number5721
Pages (from-to)425-426
Number of pages2
ISSN0028-0836
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1979
Externally publishedYes

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