Absorption of anthropogenic lead by populations of lichens of the genus Usnea in industrial area

• Autor(a) principal: Soares, Juliana Ferreira
• Data de Publicação: 2014
• Outros Autores: Ilha, Róbson, Zazycki, Maria Amélia, Bernardes, Rodrigo Costa Carvalho, Mortari, Sérgio Roberto, Vasconcellos, Noeli Júlia Schussler de
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Monografias Ambientais
• Texto Completo: http://periodicos.ufsm.br/remoa/article/view/14695
• topic: Bioindicators; Air quality; Heavy metals; Bioindicadores; Qualidade do ar; Metais pesados

The industrial emissions of lead, from mainly mergers, causing a secondary increase in concentration of the atmosphere, degrading the quality of the environment and hence interfering with the human health. The use of bioindicators has been an important tool in the assessment of air quality, since these organisms have close relations with ecophysiological atmosphere and high degree of accumulation of pollutants. The aim of this study was to quantify the absorption of anthropogenic lead in populations of lichens of the genus Usnea near a grinding of automotive batteries, located in the municipality of Santa Maria - RS. The work was conducted by exposing lichens of the genus Usnea, coming from native area, nearby the company, during the winter and spring of 2010. Quantification of lead was performed by optical emission spectrometry. The quantitative analysis indicated high levels of lead absorbed by the lichen community, evidencing the origin of atmospheric pollution. This result confirms the ineffectiveness of measures to control the emission of pollutants.