Pyrene in leaves of Lombardy poplars from Halle and Leipzig
Significant decrease in contamination since the early 1990s
Pyrene is a common product of combustion of fossil fuels, wood and other biomass and is also used in chemical industry. It is relatively persistent and accumulates in organisms.
Pyrene levels in poplar leaves from Halle and Leipzig indicate that environmental pyrene pollution has significantly declined since the early 1990s. This may be related to reduced-emission domestic heating and cars but also to major changes in the nearby industrial region Bitterfeld such as improved emission protection, modernisation and/or shut-downs of production sites and reduced emissions from lignite-fired power plants.
Fig. 1: Pyrene in poplar leaves from Halle and Leipzig
Updated at: 2022-01-11
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Specimen
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A deciduous tree typical of ecosystems close to dense conurbations and an indicator for the characterisation of the immission situation during the vegetation period.
Analytes
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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon with four connected six-membered rings
Sampling area
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Region in the chemical triangle of Central Germany