Abstract
The uptake of nitroaromatic compounds by plants from the soil was studied at an ammunition site. After the development of analytical methods for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, aminodinitrotoluenes and dinitrotoluenes in plant material, we could show that these substances accumulated in the roots of plants and are found to a lesser extent inleaves and stems. We observed only moderate differences between various plant species. It is likely that a metabolic transformation in plants leads to the formation of dinitrotoluenes which are considered to be potent carcinogens. Results from soils with a wide range of explosive concentrations show a good correlation between the plant and soil concentrations. The relative accumulation in plant material is higher at lower soil concentrations. At low soil concentrations of about 1 mg trinitrotoluene/kg soil, an accumulation factor of about 0.5 can be derived. These data are an important input for the risk assessment of ammunition sites.
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Schneider, K., Oltmanns, J., Radenberg, T. et al. Uptake of nitroaromatic compounds in plants. Environ. Sci. & Pollut. Res. 3, 135–138 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02985519
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02985519