Using stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) to assess the influence of long term emission upon pollution with metals of the Tatra National Park area (Poland)

Abstract

Stinging nettle samples, soil samples and dust fall samples were collected from three stands (the Chochołowska Valley, the Strążyska Valley and Morskie Oko), located in the area of the Tatra National Park (South Poland) and subjected to determination of the contents of 8 metals (iron, manganese, zinc, copper, lead, cadmium, nickel and chrome) using the atomic absorption spectrometry method. The aim of this work was to determine metal contaminations in soil, dust fall and stinging nettle growing in the above mentioned area and to determine the influence of the long term emission upon these contaminations. Accumulation of the tested metals in nettle was usually different and depending on the morphological part of a plant and the testing place it was for the particular elements as follows (mg kg-1): Fe - 27–305, Mn - 17–46, Zn - 12–49, Cu - 2,8–10,6, Pb - 0,07-0,91, Cd - 0,15-0,86, Ni - 0,31-0,91 and Cr - 0,00-0,49. We concluded that despite frequently small resources of bioavailable compounds of these metals in the ground, the soil is an important source of copper, zinc and manganese in stinging nettle. Additionally, long term emission is a significant source of elements introduced into the natural environment of the Tatra National Park. The highest content of soluble compounds of all the tested metals in the dust flowing from the south of the country and of most metals from the west in the Chochołowska Valley, the latter remaining under the influence of long term emission, indicate that the area of the Tatra National Park is polluted mainly by the bioavailable metal compounds present in the long term industrial emission coming from the territory of Slovakia and the Czech Republic. • The Tatra national Park is polluted by long term industrial emission. • The stinging nettle is useful for research due to its commonness and the range of occurrence. • The largest amounts of soluble metal forms are coming from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. • The contents of the tested metals in nettle met the WHO standards except for cadmium.