Heavy metal contamination of spontaneous vegetation and soil around the copper smelter "Legnica"

Abstract

The area around the copper smelter "Legnica" in western Poland is influenced by pollutants from the smelter for about 35 years. Ecosystems within a distance of 1-2 km from the smelting complex are heavily degradated. Copper levels of the upper soil layers averaged more than 15000 ppm, lead levels more than 2000 ppm (d.m. weight). Besides heavy metals, sulphur dioxide is one of the most important pollutants affecting plant growth. Only few plant species are able to grow on those highly contaminated sites. Vegetation patches within zones of bare ground without any vegetation are mainly dominated by Convolvulus arvensis, Agropyron repens, Calamagrostis epigeios or Sambucus nigra. Leaf metal contents of Artemisia vulgaris, a plant which is a good bioindicator and also very frequent around the copper smelter, ranged: 665-2340 ppm Cu (d.m. weight), 215-2301 ppm Zn, 189-1031 ppm Pb and 0.75-12.4 ppm Cd according to the distance and exposition to the pollution source.