Abstract
There is currently much public opposition to the construction of municipal refuse incinerators in the United States owing to health concerns about emitted toxicants. In this study, 19 elements and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were determined in grasses sampled upwind and downwind from a municipal refuse incinerator which had no emission control devices. Concentrations of Cd, Mo, Hg, Zn, Fe, and Pb were generally highest immediately adjacent to the incinerator. Foliar concentration of the metals, Cd, Mo, Zn, Fe, and Pb was inversely related to the logarithm of the distance downwind from the incinerator. Foliar concentration of Hg decreased linearly with distance downwind. Polychlorinated biphenyls were not detectable in any of the grass samples possibly due to their thermal destruction during incineration or greater dispersion because of their higher vapor pressure. The metal concentration in plants in the vicinity of such incinerators will be affected by the composition of the refuse, incinerator design and stack height, combustion operating conditions, emission control devices, the nature of the plant surface, the water solubility of deposited metal-containing particulates, prevailing weather conditions and root uptake of such metals by plants.
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Bache, C.A., Gutenmann, W.H., Rutzke, M. et al. Concentrations of metals in grasses in the vicinity of a municipal refuse incinerator. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 20, 538–542 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01065846
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01065846