Variations in the Fluoride Level in Precipitation in a Region of Human Impact

  • Barbara Walna
  • Iwona Kurzyca
  • Jerzy Siepak
Chapter

The research concerns the Wielkopolski National Park (West Poland), which suffered a huge human impact in the 1970s and 1980s owing to the nearby location of an industrial plant. Since then, fundamental technological changes that it introduced into its production of phosphate fertilizers have radically reduced the amount of pollution emitted. A three-year study (2002–2004) of fluorides in precipitation in open terrain and under tree crowns showed their concentrations to range from levels below the detection limit (0.003 mg/l) to 0.560 mg/l. Those registered under tree crowns were several times higher and indicated substantial dry deposition of fluorides on the trees. The highest values were recorded in 2003, with 43% of samples ranging from 0.01 to 0.05 mg/l, and with 51% of throughfall ranging from 0.10 to 0.50 mg/l. A strong connection was shown to exist between fluoride and sulphate concentrations in the precipitation. An analysis was made of the available data on F concentrations in the air and the dust levels around the factory, but these figures did not show an unequivocal effect on F concentrations in precipitation. A great similarity was found to occur between the fluoride content in rainwater in the Wielkopolski National Park and in the centre of the nearby Poznań metropolitan area, which indicates that there are also other F sources besides the local factory.

Keywords

fluoride Poznaή precipitation throughfall theWielkopolski National Park 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Arnesen, A. K. M. G., Abrahamsen, G., Sandvik, G., & Krogstad, T. (1995). Al smelters and fluoride pollution of soil and soil solution in Norway. Science of the Total Environment, 163, 39–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Barnard, W. R., & Nordstrom, D. K. (1982). Fluoride in precipitation. II. Implications for the geochemical cycling of fluorine. Atmospheric Environment, 16(1), 105–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Cape, J. N., Fowler, D., & Davison, A. (2003). Ecological effects of sulfur dioxide, fluorides and minor air pollutants: Recent trends and research needs. Environment International, 29, 201–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Fangmeier, A., Bender, J., Weigl, H. J., & Jager, H. J. (2002). Impact of mixture pollutants. In J. N. B Bell & M. Treshow (Eds.), Air pollution and plant life (pp. 279–298). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
  5. Feng, Y. W., Ogura, N., Feng, Z. W., Zhang, F. Z., & Shimizu, H. (2003). The concentration and sources of fluoride in atmospheric depositions in Beijing, China. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 145, 95–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Horner, J. M., & Bell, J. N. B. (1995). Effects of fluoride and acidity on early plant growth. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 52, 205–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Horntvedt, R. (1995). Fluoride uptake in conifers related to emissions from aluminium smelters in Norway. Science of the Total Environment, 163, 35–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Karolewski, P., Siepak, J, & Gramowska, H. (2000). Responce of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Norway spruce (Picea Abies) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) needles to environment pollution with fluorine compounds. Dendrobiology, 45, 41–46.Google Scholar
  9. Klumpp, A., Domingos, M., & Klumpp, G. (1996). Assessment of the vegetation risk by fluoride emissions from fertilizer industries at Cubatao, Brazil. Science of the Total Environment, 192, 219–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. McCune, D. C., & Weinstein, L. H. (2002). Impact of fluoride. In J. N. B. Bell & M. Treshow (Eds.), Air pollution and plant life (pp. 181–190). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
  11. Pickering, W. F. (1985). The mobility of soluble fluoride in soils. Environmental Pollution, 9, 281–308.Google Scholar
  12. Polkowska, Ż., Astel, A., Walna, B., Małek, S., Mędrzycka, K., Górecki, T., et al. (2005). Chemical composition of rainwater and throughfall - A four year series from three different sampling sites in Poland. Atmospheric Environment, 39, 837–855.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Saether, O. M., Andreassen, B. T., & Semb, A. (1995). Amounts and sources of fluoride in precipitation over southern Norway. Atmospheric Environment, 29(15), 1785–1793.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Van den Hoop, M. A. G. T, Cleven, R. F. M. J., van Staden, J. J. , & Neele, J. (1996). Analysis of fluoride in rain water. Comparison of capillary electrophoresis with ion chromatography and ion selective electrode potentiometry. Chromatography A, 739, 241–248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Van Wensem, J., & Adena, T. (1991). Effects of fluoride on soil fauna mediated litter decomposition. Environmental Pollution, 46, 1–9.Google Scholar
  16. Walna, B., Kurzyca, I., & Siepak, J. (2004). Local effects of pollution on chemical composition of precipitation in areas differing in human impact. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 13, 36–42.Google Scholar
  17. Walna, B., & Siepak, J. (1999). Research on the variability of physical-chemical parameters characterizing acidic atmospheric precipitation at the Jeziory Ecological Station in the Wielkopolski National Park (Poland). Science of the Total Environment, 239, 173–187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Weinstein, L. H. (1977). Fluoride and plant life. Journal of Occupational Medicine, 19, 49–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. Zimmermann, F, Lux, H., Maenhaut, W., Matschullat, J., Plessow, K., Reuter, F., et al. (2003). A review of air pollution and atmospheric deposition dynamics in southern Saxony, Germany, Central Europe. Atmospheric Environment, 37, 671–691.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer Science + Business Media B.V 2007

Authors and Affiliations

  • Barbara Walna
    • 1
  • Iwona Kurzyca
    • 2
  • Jerzy Siepak
    • 2
  1. 1.Jeziory Ecological StationAdam Mickiewicz UniversityMosinaPoland
  2. 2.Department of Water and Soil AnalysisAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznaήPoland

Personalised recommendations