Effect of effluents from a zinc factory on lichens

Thesis/Dissertation · Thu Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1970

OSTI ID:5443507

Nash, III, T H

Located immediately north of Lehigh Gap in Palmerton, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, the New Jersey Zinc Company's factories are a source of sulfur dioxide and particulates, principally zinc and secondarily cadmium. Sampling the lichen communities of Lehigh Gap revealed the presence of seven lichen species; in Delaware Gap, an area of similar topography, soils, and geological history, 77 lichen species were found. Lichens growing in Lehigh Gap have accumulated 100 times more zinc and cadmium than lichens growing in Delaware Gap. The concentrations of zinc and cadmium at Lehigh Gap were shown to be sufficiently high to exclude lichens growing only at Delaware Gap. The magnitude and distribution of sulfur dioxide was measured. Fumigation of eight lichen species, which are restricted to Delaware Gap, showed that seven of them were sensitive to maximum concentrations of sulfur dioxide occurring at Lehigh Gap. Based on the distribution of the heavy metals and sulfur dioxide and on the results of the laboratory experiments, zinc and sulfur dioxide are probably the most important factors responsible for the depauperate status of the lichen communities near Palmerton.

• Research Organization: Rutgers--the State Univ., New Brunswick, NJ (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5443507
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560303* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Plants-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AIR POLLUTION
ALGAE
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
BIOLOGICAL VARIABILITY
CADMIUM
CHALCOGENIDES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
FEDERAL REGION III
FUNGI
LICHENS
METALS
MONITORING
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PENNSYLVANIA
PLANTS
POLLUTION
SENSITIVITY
SMELTERS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
USA
ZINC