Pine needles as bioindicator and biomagnetic indicator of selected metals in the street dust, a case study from southeastern Iran

Abstract

Among the different approaches currently being used to evaluate the contamination level of street dust, the magnetic susceptibility of dust and urban tree leaves has received little attention. The key objectives of this study were: (i) to investigate the feasibility of using pine needles as a bioindicator and biomagnetic indicator for estimating the concentration of selected metals in street dust, and (ii) to predict the contamination level of street dust by selected metals using magnetic susceptibility. Street dust and pine tree needle samples were taken from 60 locations in three adjacent cities in Kerman province (Kerman, Rafsanjan, and Sirjan), southeastern Iran. The total concentrations of selected metals, including Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Pb, and the magnetic susceptibility (χ_lf and χ_hf) values of both pine tree needles and street dust samples were determined. Among the three cities studied, samples from Kerman showed the highest magnetic susceptibility and metal concentration values. This could be attributed to the larger size and much higher population density of this city, with more industrial activities and urban traffic than the other two cities investigated. The results also showed that the concentrations of metals in pine needles were strongly correlated (p < 0.01) with those in street dust. The magnetic susceptibility of pine needles and the concentrations of Fe, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, and Mn in street dust showed a statistically significant correlation (p < 0.01). A strong and statistically significant correlation (p < 0.01) was also found between magnetic susceptibility and the concentration of metals in pine needles. In conclusion, strong relationships between magnetic properties and metal concentrations of pine needles with those of street dust samples seem to make pine needles a good bioindicator and biomagnetic estimator of the contamination level of metals in street dust.

Keywords: Air pollution; Biomagnetic approach; Magnetic susceptibility; Metals pollution; Plant analysis; Urban dust.