Effects of road proximity on heavy metal concentrations in soils and common roadside plants in Southern California

Abstract

Concerns about motor vehicle emissions on human health are typically focused on aerial pollution and are regulated via controls on tailpipe emissions. However, vehicles also contribute heavy metal emissions through non-tailpipe pathways (e.g., brake wear, tire particulates). The metal pollutants produced via both tailpipe and non-tailpipe pathways pose threats to both human and ecosystem health long after they have settled from the atmosphere largely via contamination of soils and plants. In this study, we examined the effect of vehicular pollution on soils and plants in five paired sites in Gaviota, CA. In each site, we examined the effect of proximity to road on heavy metal concentrations (cadmium, nickel, lead, and zinc) in four of the most common roadside plant species-Melilotus indicus, Herschfeldia incana, Avena sativa, and Artemisia californica-as well as on soil metal concentrations. Then, to look at potential effects of road proximity and associated metal pollution on plants, we also examined the carbon and nitrogen ratios of all the plant samples. We found strong and significant effects of proximity to road on concentrations of all heavy metals in plants; plants in close proximity to roads had metal concentrations between 8 and 11 times higher than plants farther from roads. Plant C:N ratios also varied strongly among site types and were always higher in close proximity to roads as compared to farther off roads, potentially indicating broader effects of road proximity to plant ecology and leaf quality for consumers in the region.