Abstract

The aim of this work was to define the correlation between heavy metal (mercury, lead, cadmium, chrome and nickel) concentration changes (in soil, leaf, stem, root and essential oil in Tansy) and type and distance from source pollution. The concentration was monitored on different locations: 1) Chemical industry pančevo (with accident situation); 2) Pančevo industrial zone; 3) highway; 4) Ada Ciganlija recreation zone and 5) Topčider park. Mercury (Hg) concentration was analyzed as a function of time, starting from accident situation from 1999 to 2008. Hg had maximum concentration of 131 200 mg/kg at a soil depth of 0 - 15 cm. After three, six and nine years, linear accident Hg concentrations in soil decreased from 85 400 via 41 060 to 106.0 mg/kg. Mercury concentration which results in the location where accident occurred showed that 6 years was necessary for concentration to drop below the limits and for revitalization of standard industrial Tansy vegetation. Concentrations of Hg in the Tansy plants from contaminated site were 5, 10, 100 and 200 times greater than in industrial zone, highway, Ada Ciganlija and Topčider, respectively. The highest amount of lead (Pb) was in leaves (14.1 mg/kg) and in essential oil (0.7 mg/kg) of Tansy near the highway. However, Pb concentration in soil and plant was decreased with square of highway distance.

Key words: Environmental study, heavy metal concentration, mercury accident, correlation, Tanacetum vulgare.