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New isotopic evidence of lead contamination in wheat grain from atmospheric fallout

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Abstract

Crops could accumulate trace metals by soil-root transfer and foliar uptake from atmospheric fallout, and an accurate assessment of pollution sources is a prerequisite for preventing heavy metal pollution in agricultural products. In this study, we examined Pb isotope rates to trace the sources of Pb in wheat grain grown in suburbs. Results showed that, even in zones with scarcely any air pollution spots, atmospheric fallout was still a considerable source of Pb accumulation in wheat. The concentration of Pb in wheat grain has poor correlation with that in farm soil. The Pb concentration in wheat grains with dust in bran coat was significantly higher than that in wheat grains, which indicates that Pb may accumulate by foliar uptake. The Pb isotope rate has obvious differences between the soil and atmospheric fallout, and scatter ratio is significantly closer between the wheat grain and atmospheric fallout. Atmospheric fallout is a more significant source of Pb concentration in wheat grains than in soil. As far as we know, this is the first study on the main sources of lead in grain crop (wheat) samples with isotope. This study aims to improve our understanding of the translocation of foliar-absorbed metals to nonexposed parts of plants.

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Acknowledgments

This study was sponsored by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (41271478) and the 863 National Hi-tech Research & Development Project (2012AA06A202, 2014AA06A513).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Environmental Remediation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A Datun Road, Beijing, 100101, China

    Jun Yang, Tongbin Chen, Mei Lei, Xiaoyong Zhou, Runyao Gu & Guanghui Guo

  2. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Qifei Huang

  3. Collaborative Innovation Center of Environmental Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Henan Province, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

    Chuang Ma

Authors
  1. Jun Yang
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  2. Tongbin Chen
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  3. Mei Lei
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  4. Xiaoyong Zhou
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  5. Qifei Huang
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  6. Chuang Ma
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  7. Runyao Gu
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  8. Guanghui Guo
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Correspondence to Mei Lei.

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Responsible editor: Gerhard Lammel

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Yang, J., Chen, T., Lei, M. et al. New isotopic evidence of lead contamination in wheat grain from atmospheric fallout. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 14710–14716 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4601-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4601-9

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