Abstract
Transport of 42 polychlorobiphenyl (PCB) congeners by purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) in two ecosystems is reported. The contaminated site was beside the Hudson River at Albany, New York, and the control site was two miles distant on wasteland. By transplanting and translocating the plants between the sites, systemic uptake from the roots and uptake from the air were determined. Uptake from ambient air was also measured with a 0.2-m3 field sampling chamber. The dominant route of uptake by the plant was via the roots. At high ambient concentrations (140 ng/m) PCB was scavenged from the air by the plants. At low ambient concentrations (8 ng/m3) 2-chlorobiphenyl and 2,2′-dichlorobiphenyl were emitted by the plants.
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Bush, B., Shane, L.A., Wilson, L.R. et al. Uptake of polychlorobiphenyl congeners by purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) on the banks of the Hudson river. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 15, 285–290 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01061105
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01061105