ATMOSPHERIC DEPOSITION OF HEAVY METALS IN THE SOUTHERN ALBANIA STUDIED BY MOSS BIOMONITORING USING ICP-AES TECHNIQUE

The bioaccumulation of lead, copper, zinc and cadmium in moss collected from polluted and unpolluted areas is presented in this work. Heavy metals are ubiquitous pollutants which are persistent and get transferred from one tropic level to another. The ability of mosses to passively accumulate heavy metals from dry and wet deposition have made them excellent biomonitors of metal deposition in the environment. Samples of the terrestrial moss Hypnum cupressiforme were collected in September - October 2010 from 17 sites according to the guidelines of the LRTAP Convention ? ICP Vegetation. Collected moss samples were cleaned and totally digested by using microwave digestion system. The content of elements was determined by atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-AES). Geographical distribution maps of the elements over the sampled territory were constructed using GIS technology. The results were compared with the results obtained in some other neighboring countries and Norway as a pristine area. The most contaminated sites with Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn are those with high vehicular movement and high population density.