In an attempt to explore mechanisms of moss as air pollution biomonitor

moss samples were exposed for one month at Shanghai Iron and Steel Research Institute (SISRI

as a pollution site) and Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP

as a control site) simultaneously. Elemental distributions in micro areas of the leaf and stem

and the whole moss tissue as well

were determined using synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (SRXRF) method. The contents of metal elements of Pb

Cu

Fe

Ni

Mn

Zn

Ca

K in the leaf surface and stem slice were obtained. The re- sults showed that the metallic ions were not distributed uniformly in the polluted samples. In particular

K

Ni

Fe and Pb were concentrated in the leaf apex and the intermediate rib. In samples of the air pollution

excessive Pb was ad- sorbed and deposited in the leaf

causing serious damage to the plant growth and their microstructure and inhibiting the plant’s normal absorption to nutritive elements

such as K and Ca.