Using Leaves of Oriental Plane (Platanus orientalis L.) to Determine the Effects of Heavy Metal Pollution Caused by Vehicles

Abstract

This study uses oriental plane (Platanus orientalis L.) leaves to determine the heavy metal pollution caused by vehicular traffic on the D-755 Highway connecting Bartın and Karabük cities in Turkey. As a result of the analyses, it was determined that the order of elements leading to metal emitted from vehicles is Pb>Zn>Ni>Cu>Cr>Cd. On the other hand, according to the variance analysis and Duncan test performed, we found a statistically significant difference between 20 sampling stations at the confidence level of P-1, Zn 18.2-52.4 mg·kg^-1, Ni 0.13-0.35 mg·kg^-1, Cu 3.45-12.73 mg·kg^-1, Cr 0.21-0.37 mg·kg^-1, and Cd 0.05-0.12 mg·kg^-1.