Concentrations of metals in tissues of lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) near a copper-nickel smelter at Sudbury, Ontario, Canada: A factor analytic approach

Journal Article · Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00192179· OSTI ID:6645836

Bagatto, G; Shorthouse, J D ^[1]; Crowder, A A ^[2]

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1. Laurentian Univ., Sudbury, Ontario (Canada)
2. Queens Univ., Kingston (Canada)

Ecosystems damaged by emissions from the copper-nickel smelters of Inco and Falconbridge Ltd. near Sudbury, Ontario, Canada have provided a unique opportunity to study the effects of metal particulates and sulphur dioxide fumigations on plant and animal communities. The most infamous terrain in the Sudbury region is nearest the smelters (two active and one closed), where nearly all vegetation has been destroyed and soils eroded and contaminated. However, over all the past twenty years, some species of plants have developed a tolerance to polluted soils and some denuded lands have been naturally and artificially revegetated. Furthermore, a series of unique anthropogenic forests have developed away from the smelters. Several studies on the accumulation of metals in plant tissues indicate the levels of metals are usually highest closest to the smelters. Consequently, several studies have reported high correlations between plant concentrations of certain metals with distance from the source of pollution. However, tissue metal burdens are not always correlated with distance from the emission source, suggesting that other biological and physico-chemical factors may influence tissue metal burdens in the Sudbury habitat. The present study provides information on the metal burdens in another plant, lowbush blueberry, growing both near and away from the smelters. This study assesses the apparent influence of the Sudbury smelting operations on plant tissue burdens of five additional elements, along with copper and nickel, by using a factor analytic approach. This approach will allow determination of underlying factors which govern tissue metal burdens in a polluted environment and helps to refine the future direction of research in the Sudbury ecosystem. 12 refs., 2 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 6645836
• Journal Information: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (United States), Vol. 51:4; ISSN 0007-4861
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AEROSOL WASTES
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
AIR POLLUTION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BLUEBERRIES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
METALS
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
SMELTERS
EMISSION
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
ONTARIO
BERRIES
CANADA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISTRIBUTION
ELEMENTS
FOOD
FRUITS
NORTH AMERICA
POLLUTION
WASTES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology