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In 2010, the ambient radiation dose level has been measured in situ for the first time at the same sampling sites where the moss samples have been collected in order to determine and describe the air pollution in the Republic of Macedonia. It has been found that the ambient dose levels are in the interval from 53 nSv/h to 340 nSv/h. A model for the calculation of radiation dose rate based on measured value and the content of U and Th (elements that have only radioactive isotopes), as well as Ba, K, La, Rb and Sr (elements that have both radioactive and stable isotopes) in moss samples, and the measured values of the radiation dose rate is proposed.

In the present study, the actual levels and temporal changes of 34 major and trace elements were examined in 44 moss samples Hypnum cuppressiforme collected across Thrace region. The concentrations of Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Sb, V, and Zn were found to be higher than the local background in the vicinity of Corlu, one of the most industrialized cities in Thrace region. The concentrations of Fe and Pb exceeded the local background level in the locations close to the Istanbul Airport construction. The highest concentrations of As, Cd, and Sb were found in Istanbul metropolitan area most probably due to intense traffic and industrial activities. Enrichment factors were calculated between 1.4 and 15.8, and Cd is the highest value among the investigated elements. The median levels of some significant anthropogenic elements including As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Sb in moss samples remained unchanged over sixteen years, suggesting that the actions were insufficient to reduce the release of these elements.

For a better understanding of the previously observed increased natural radioactivity at the confluence of the Varzob and Sioma rivers, Central Tajikistan, the activity concentration of natural radioactive 40K, Th and U daughters as well as of the anthropogenic 137Cs were determined in nine locations covering the entire Sioma River. The radiometric determinations evidenced, in addition to increased activity concentrations of Th and U daughter radionuclides, an anomalous accumulation of anthropic 137Cs and natural 210Pb in the middle of the Sioma gorge. Complementarily, the mass fractions of natural Th and U determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis evidenced an increased presence of Th and U, which, in some places, overpasses six-times the average mass fraction found in the upper continental crust. The possible influence of active air transport from the southern Tadjik plane during the Afghani storms, as well as the presence of actinide-rich minerals, were analyzed and discussed.

To assess the effect of silver nanoparticles on mice cognitive abilities, daily, up to 4-month period, experimental mice were administrated with silver nanoparticles solution. Accumulation of silver in brain was assessed by neutron activation analysis. Cognitive abilities in mice before and after silver nanoparticles administration were evaluated in the Morris water maze behavioral test. No significant differences in the amounts of silver accumulated in brain were found between capable and incapable animals. Silver accumulation in brain of experimental animals in 4-months experiment was higher than in 2-months experiment for both groups. In the main Morris water maze behavioral test at the control points of 2 and 4 months no statistically significant differences were found in the parameters of treks between experimental and control animals.

Received: 11.03.2022. Revised: 11.06.2022. Accepted: 16.06.2022. Available online: 21.0620.22. The accumulation of elements by plants depends on the species and varietal characteristics. A number of plant substances capable of complex formation can contribute to the phytoextraction of elements from soils. In amaranth, such a substance can be the betacyanine pigment amaranthine. Amaranth varieties containing amaranthine accumulate toxic elements from the soil. The results of our experiment showed that Amaranthus tricolor var. "Valentina" on soils with varying degrees of anthropogenic pollution can actively extract Mn, Fe, Ni, Sb. This ability of red-colored amaranth varieties can be used for phytoremediation of contaminated soils from toxic elements, and should also be taken into account when grown for nutrition and processing on contaminated soils of agricultural lands. The maximum accumulation of toxic elements from soils among the studied aboveground organs was found in amaranth leaves. The minimum is in the stems. Using the INAA method, the ability of Amaranthus tricolor L. variety “Valentina” growing on soils with different degree of pollution to extract heavy metals was evaluated in the field experiments. It was found that amaranth of the studied variety characterized by the content of betacianin pigment, amaranthine, in the shoots and generative organ, is able to accumulate elements such as Mn, Fe and Ni from soils. The content of most of the studied elements decreases in the following order: leaves > inflorescences > stems. Under conditions of soil pollution with emissions from metallurgical plant, the phytoextraction of such elements as Mn, Fe, Co, Sb increases. The content of Fe and Mn in the leaves of A. tricolor var. “Valentina” exceeds the average data for vegetation from 7 to 17 times; the Co content exceeds the average data for vegetable from 4 to 7 times; the Sb content in the leaves exceeds the average data for vegetable from 10 to 23 times. Due to the fact that amaranth forms a sufficient biomass for the growing season, it can be recommended for phytoextraction of heavy metals from soils in case of polymetallic pollution. The study was carried out with the financial support by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research project No. 19-29-05257 “Technogenic soil pollution with toxic elements and possible methods for its elimination”.

Alien Mediterranean mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis, Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas and indigenous Cape mussels Choromytilus meridionalis were used as sentinel biomonitors of inorganic pollutants in Saldanha Bay, South Africa. Neutron activation analysis was used to determine the concentrations of 33 macro and microelements in the soft tissues of molluscs. The Mediterranean mussels significantly demonstrated the higher accumulation ability to S, Se and Br than the Pacific oysters, whereas the Pacific oysters - to Fe, Cu, Zn and As. The Cape mussels are more sensitive to Mn and As and the Mediterranean mussels were sensitive to Zn and Se.

The present work was conducted to obtain and highlight the first comprehensive baseline data on atmospheric deposition of trace elements and to evaluate the air quality in Georgia. A total of 120 moss samples were collected over accessible territories in Georgia in the period from 2014 to 2017. Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) Schimp., Hypnum cupressiforme (Hedw.), and Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt. moss species were analyzed by two complementary analytical techniques: instrumental neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectrometry. Concentrations of 41 elements in mg/kg were determined. The concentrations were compared with the corresponding values in the literature and are in a good agreement, except for the concentration of Mg, Al, K, Ca, Ti, and Fe, which were higher than those reported for other countries. The principal component and discriminant analyses were implemented to extract information about the similar geochemical features and to decipher the provenance of the studied elements. The analysis showed that a considerable association of crustal elements and the provenance of elements can be considered as a mixture of geogenic and anthropogenic sources. In addition, the influence of different latitudinal climate zones on the distribution of elements in the atmospheric deposition was observed. The enrichment factor shows considerable values for Th and Zr. The spatial distribution of the pollution load index identifies four zones (#12, 38, 53, and 64). The potential ecological risk index and the risk index were calculated and it does not pose significant risk except As and Cd. The data obtained can be used as the first dataset of metal characterization of air pollution in Georgia.

The plants that make up herbal tea have a complex chemical composition and can be related to drug collections and have various pharmacological properties that affect human health. In addition to organic acids, vitamins, flavonoids, essential oils, the medicinal properties of plants are affected by macro- and microelements included in their composition. Macronutrients and microelements determine the medicinal properties of plants, are substances necessary for human growth and normal development. The composition of seven herbal teas developed in the scientific center of the North Ossetian State University after K.L. Khetagurov, each of which contains from 3 to 8 plant components was analyzed. Plant material was collected in the summer of 2018 in the mountainous and foothill areas of North Ossetia (Central Caucasus). Using instrumental neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectrometry, the presence and determination of 37 elements was carried out for the first time in herbal teas (Na, Mg, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Mo, In, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Sm, Tb, Hf, Ta, W, Au, Th, and U). The results are discussed in terms of using the studied herbal teas as a safe source of trace elements. Herbal teas can be used as functional foods that are not a drug, but replenish the human body with important compounds and elements that have a definite positive effect on the body.

Using physicochemical methods of analysis (XRF and AAS), the elemental composition of urban soils of large urban ecosystems of one of the industrially developed regions of Russia was studied. It was revealed that most of the soils of urban ecosystems have technogenic anomalies in a number of heavy metals and metalloids: As, Co, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cr. An abnormally high iron content in the soils of the region was established compared with the world level and clarke of element in the soils. Without exception, all studied urbanozems are characterized by a high S content. Territories with a moderately hazardous and dangerous pollution level, which amounted to 20% of the studied urban ecosystems, respectively, were identified by the total pollution index. Sources of toxic elements in urban soils are metallurgical, defense, metalworking and chemical industries. The industrial production and toxicant-polluted urban soils considered in the article are a potential source of pollution of natural waters and surface layers of the atmosphere. The soils of cities and sanitary protection zones of industrial enterprises with geochemical anomalies require bioremediation

For the first time, the active moss biomonitoring technique has been used in Vietnam for investigation of atmospheric elemental contamination in the air of Hanoi region. The Sphagnum girgensohnii moss harvested in the clean area were used to produce the moss-bags. After 2 months of expose in 45 different sites in Hanoi area, the moss samples were prepared and the concentration of 27 heavy metal elements were determined by proton induced X-ray emission at Cyclotron Research Center of Iwate Medical University (Japan). The comparison of the obtained results with those in several cities in Europe shows that Hanoi’s air pollution of heavy metal is much more serious. Based on the values of contamination coefficient, it is shown that Hanoi’s air is extremely polluted by Co; seriously polluted by V and Se; moderately polluted by Cl, Cr, As, Br, Zr, Nb, Mo and Hg; slightly polluted by Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ga, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ba, W and Pb Statistical analysis has been applied to the original concentration data of the detected elements to find the possible pollution sources.

A passive biomonitoring survey using terrestrial mosses was performed in a heavily polluted industrial region on the border between Czechia and Poland in a regular grid of 41 sampling points. The concentrations of 38 elements were determined in the moss samples, using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA). Simultaneously, air pollution modelling was performed using the Czech reference methodology Symos'97 for the year of the sampling (2015) and 3 years prior (2012) in order to compare the results of both the approaches and evaluate the credibility of the moss biomonitoring method. The NAA results were transformed according to the principles of compositional data analysis and assessed using hierarchical clustering on principal components. The resulting clusters were compared with the results of air pollution modelling using one-way analysis of variance. The association of determined clusters with the pollution from industrial sources was confirmed only for the results of the 2012 modelling. This validates the complementarity of the air pollution modelling and the moss biomonitoring, ascertains the moss biomonitoring as a valid method for long-term pollution assessment and confirms one of the fundamentals of moss biomonitoring, the reflection of the atmospheric conditions prevailing in the period before the sampling.

The present study was conducted to highlight the elemental composition of ten soil samples collected at different depths along of a soil profile (0.25-17 m). The collected samples were subjected to epithermal neutron activation analysis at the pulsed reactor IBR-2 of Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics - Joint Institute for Nuclear Research - Dubna - Russian Federation. The concentrations in mg/kg of 36 major and trace elements were determined. Symbatic behaviour of geochemically related elements was observed: Th and U; Cl and Br and Fe, Ti, Ca, Al, and Mg, etc. A sharp increase of certain concentrations at the depth of 8 m was observed. Significant mafic sources of elements were observed and mostly are attributed to Ethiopian High Plateau with small amount of felsic volcanic rocks.

The concentration of 22 metal elements including Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Br, Rb, Sr, Zr, Ba and Pb in Barbula Indica moss samples collected in 12 different sites in Ha Noi in July of 2018 were determined by Proton Induced X-ray Emission. The obtained results has been used for assessment of heavy metal pollution in the air in Ha Noi region. The factor analysis was applied to the concentration data of 11 interested elements and the possible sources of air pollution have been suggested. The study showed that the PIXE technique is efficient to environmental pollution analysis since it precise, fast and low-cost.

The present work was conducted to evaluate the air quality in terms of inorganic pollutants and toxicity impact using two evergreen tree leaves, Eucalyptus globulus Labill (E. globulus) and Ficus microcarpa L.f., Suppl. Pl. 442 (1782) (F. microcarpa) as biomonitors. Thirty tree leaves and an equal number of co-located soil samples from different regions of Egypt (urban Greater Cairo Metropolitan (GC) and rural Menoufia Governorate (MG)) were collected. The concentrations of 34 and 40 elements were determined using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INNA) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) in tree leaves and soils, respectively. Bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses were implemented. The air pollution was assessed using enrichment factor, pollution load index, potential ecological risk, and risk index. In addition, human and ecotoxicity were evaluated based on the ReCiPe method. The mean concentration values of the obtained elements in tree leave in urban Greater Cairo and rural Menoufia Governorate show that the major elements are slightly higher in F. microcarpa than in E. globulus. Likewise, the mean values of elements in soil from GC and MG show no significant difference except for major elements (Fe, Al, Mg, K, Na, and Ti) in MG. The normalized concentrations of tree leave and soil show that the accumulated elements by F. macrocarpa are slightly higher than in E. globulus in GC and MG. While in terms of the investigated area, the concentrations of elements in MG are considerably higher than in GC. Pollution load index (PLI) spatial distribution over investigated areas showed that despite high population density, heavy traffic, and urban pollution, the Cairo samples exhibit significantly lower values as compared to those from Menoufia, which is most likely due to the uncontrolled industrial and domestic waste disposal outside Cairo. Potential ecological risk (PER) was significant for As in soil and for As and Cd in tree species. Human toxicity shows higher values in urban locations. Contrariwise, in the terrestrial ecotoxicity aspect, the rural locations are much higher than in urban ones.

Purpose The objective of this study was to provide insights into the most recent responses of sediments to climate change and their capability to sequester atmospheric carbon (C). Methods Three sediment cores were collected, one from the western Black Sea, and two from the southern Adriatic Sea. Cores were extruded and sectioned into 1 cm or 0.5 cm intervals. Sections were frozen, weighed, freeze-dried, and then weighed again to obtain dry weights. Freeze-dried samples were dated by using lead 210 (Pb-210) and cesium 137/ americium 241 (Cs-137/Am-241). Organic and inorganic C were determined by combustion. Particle size distribution was determined using a Beckman Coulter particle size analyzer (LS 13,320; Beckman Coulter Inc.). Mineralogical analyses were carried out by a Philips X'Pert powder diffractometer. Results Sedimentation and organic and inorganic C accumulation rates increased with time in both the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea. The increase in accumulation rates continued after the global introduction in the early 1970s of controls on the release of phosphorus (P) into the environment and despite the reduced sediment yield of major rivers (Po and Danube). Therefore, the increased accumulation of organic and inorganic C in the sediments cannot be assigned only to nutrient availability. Instead, we suggest that the increase in organic C is the consequence of the increase in atmospheric C, which has made more carbon dioxide (CO2) available to phytoplankton, thus enabling more efficient photosynthesis. This process known as CO2 fertilization may increase the organic C accumulation in sediments. Simultaneously, the increase of sea temperatures decreases the calcite solubility resulting in increases of the inorganic C accumulation. Conclusion Our results suggest that long-term, general increases in accumulation rates of organic and inorganic C in sediments are the consequence of increases in atmospheric C. This shows that coastal sediments play an important role in C uptake and thus in regulating the Earth's climate., Croatian Science Foundation-Youth Careers Development Project [ESF-DOK-1-2018]; Croatian Science Foundation [IP-01-2018], AV acknowledges the support of the Croatian Science Foundation-Youth Careers Development Project (ESF-DOK-1-2018). JO and TK acknowledge the support of the Croatian Science Foundation project IP-01-2018.

The soft tissues of mussels are often used as the main food source, especially in coastal areas. Neutron Activation Analysis was used to measure the content of 24 macro- and microelements in the soft tissues and 18 elements in the shells of selected sets of mussels of the species Mytilus galloprovincialis. The mussels were collected in 8 polluted and 4 pristine zones, which included Namibia, the west and east coasts of South Africa, and Mozambique. According to factor analysis Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Br, I, Sb could have anthropogenic origin. The concentrations of elements such as Cr, As, Se and partly Zn at polluted stations were above the maximum permissible levels for seafood. The concentrations of Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Sb, Cs, Th, U in shells and soft tissues of the same mussels were at the close levels. Elements such as Al, Cr, Co, As (partly Zn, Se, and I) are considered to be harmful to human health at the levels of mussels consumption of 200 g/week per person and lower in such zones as Swakopmund, East London, Port Shepstone, Richards Bay, Xai-Xai according to calculated risk quotients and target hazard indices.

The concentrations of trace elements in feather moss Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt. were used to indicate the relative levels of air pollution by trace elements in Polish national parks. Pleurozium schreberi was collected from nine national parks. The highest concentrations were recorded in the moss samples from the southern and most industrialised part of the country; the lowest from northern and north-eastern Poland. A comparison of data obtained from Polish national parks in the 1970s and 1990s showed a significant decrease in the concentrations of heavy metals. In the linear covariability estimation, the t quantile approach was used for multi-element comparison. A number of positive covariabilities were observed. This is a result of anthropogenic activity and the geochemical characteristics of the local environment, including crust composition to which soil composition is related. The statistical approach of t quantile to study common relationships between element concentrations can be used in the interpretation of biomonitoring research results in similar studies. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00244-020-00755-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In the most recent 2015/2016 campaign of the European-scale moss survey, Bulgaria joined for the fifth consecutive time. To investigate elemental atmospheric deposition patterns, 115 samples of moss biomonitors were collected. Instrumental neutron activation analysis was used to maximize the number of elements determined, including trace elements. The content of 34 elements was measured. Spatial and temporal variability trends and multivariate analysis indicated that coal mining and coal combustion for electricity production and domestic heating are major anthropogenic factors affecting the ecological situation in the country, followed by effects related to the construction of roads and related traffic pollution.

This article presents the methodology of analysis of industrial and environmental materials using Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) technique. The application of thick target PIXE technique using a 3 MeV proton beam at 3 MV Tandetron at Horia Hulubei National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH), Romania, in industrial and environmental complex studies proved to be very useful for the identification of a large series of trace elements, some of them being toxic for living organisms and humans and others contributing to the elemental cycling in natural environments. The main elements determined by PIXE are K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Br, Rb, Sr and Pb, using High Purity Germanium (HPGe) GDP-05145 (BSI) type detector of 20 mm2 surface, 8 mm thickness. In addition, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, and Cl could be determined using external beam PIXE with X-123 SDD Fast Amptek silicon detector of 25 mm2 surface, 500 µm thickness. PIXE technique successfully complements other atomic and nuclear techniques, such as: energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF), instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and ion beam technique particle-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE). A discussion is made regarding the suitability of PIXE technique to be further used in studies related to soil-crop toxic metal transfer in an agroecosystem, as well as heavy metals biosorbtion from industrial wastewater, for the investigation of level of contamination with metals and toxicants occurrence in environmental factors and human health risk assessment. The paper was presented at the Scientific Conference of the Doctoral School of "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati (SCDS-UDJG), 7th edition, Galati, Romania, 13-14 June, 2019.

For the first time, active biomonitoring was used to assess elemental content of atmospheric pollution in selected areas of the Western Cape Province in South Africa. Two moss and lichen species were exposed for a maximum period of 3-months (i.e. 12-weeks) at three sites. Overall, 47 elements were identified and their concentrations were determined using both INAA and ICP-MS. Some of the identified elements could be linked back to the anticipated pollution sources. Relative Accumulation Factor values were calculated for the identified elements. Overall, concentrations of elements were found to be relatively lower in the Western Cape air.

Quality control of atmospheric air is a priority topic for monitoring the environment. There is a great need for rapid and cost-effective control of atmospheric pollution. The protected and park zones play a recreational role, therefore the assessment of air quality in this area is especially important. For the first time active biomonitoring (moss bags technique) was applied in Moscow, at the state museum-reserve Tsaritsyno. As a bioindicator the moss Sphagnum girgensohnii was chosen. This species was collected in a pristine wetland area Domkino Bay, near Dubna, Russia. S. girgensohnii was bagged and exhibited at three locations of Tsaritsyno from June to September of 2017. The goal of this pilot study was to assess air pollution with trace elements from potential pollution sources in Moscow. A total of 32 chemical elements: Na, Mg, Al, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Se, As, Br, Rb, Mo, Sr, Sb, Ba, Cs, La, Sm, Tb, Ce, Hf, Ta, W, Th, and U were determined in the exposed samples by neutron activation analysis at the reactor IBR-2 of FLNP, JINR, and three environmentally meaningful elements: Pb, Cu, and Cd were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry in the same laboratory. Obtained results showed increase of the concentration of elements considered as environmental pollutants, Sb, Cr, V, etc., in moss samples exposed at different sites in Tsaritsyno park, which requires attention from the Moscow authorities. Sphagnum girgensohnii proved to be a cheap and efficient tool to assess heavy metal pollution in urban area.

Moscow is a large metropolis in which the air is affected by the constant effects of chemicals produced by industrial facilities, vehicles, residential heating and other human activities on a daily basis. The protected and park areas on the territory of Moscow have an important recreational role, therefore, air quality control in these territories should be carried out first. Active moss biomonitoring has been used as an alternative method to conventional atmospheric monitoring for more than 40 years. This type of biomonitoring is successfully applied all over the world: in China, Serbia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Italy, Romania, etc. In this study, active moss biomonitoring was used for the first time on the territory of the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve to assess the air pollution. The moss species Sphagnum girgensohnii was chosen for the experiment. Neutron activation analysis was used to determine the concentrations of the elements: Na, Mg, Al, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Se, As, Br, Rb, Mo, Sr , Sb, Ba, Cs, La, Sm, Tb, Ce, Hf, Ta, W, Th, and U. The concentrations of Pb, Cu, and Cd were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry.

For the third time since 2005 atmospheric deposition of trace elements in Belarus was monitored by the moss technique widely used in Europe for air pollution studies. Samples of moss species of Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi were collected at 86 sites over the Gomel, Vitebsk and Minsk Regions in the summer of 2015. A total of 30 elements were determined by epithermal neutron activation analysis. Studying of the temporal trends in Belarus was undertaken with the results obtained in previous moss surveys in 2005/2006 and 2010/2011. Comparison with the analogous data from the neighbouring countries showed relatively low contamination levels in Belarus for the most heavy and toxic elements. The results of survey 2010/2011 showed that, except Cr, other element concentrations reduce or are at the same levels.

This study presents the first data of 210Po and 210Pb activity concentrations using moss species Hypnum cupressiforme from Thrace region, the northwestern part of Turkey. The moss samples were systematically collected from 40 locations in the study area. The average with standard deviation and range of 210Po and 210Pb activity concentrations were found to be 409 ± 128, 188–777 and 494 ± 183, 178–852 Bq kg−1 at dry weight, respectively. Comparatively higher radionuclide activities were found in the northeastern Thrace, probably due to 222Rn daughters attached to aerosols through high rainfall in this part of the region. A significant positive correlation was found between 210Po and 210Pb, which shows that their source and/or bioaccumulation behavior are similar. The average and range of 210Po/210Pb ratio were calculated to be 0.89 and 0.47–2.67, respectively. Those levels were calculated to be mostly lower than unity that addressed the abundance of 210Pb, probably due to predominantly inorganic particles through atmospheric deposition.

For the first time, moss bags technique as a useful, inexpensive, and accessible biomonitoring for assessment airborne metals was employed in Baku. A total of 37 elements were determined in 21 moss bags (Sphagnum girgensohnii) exposed for three months and subjected to two complementary analytical techniques: INAA and AAS. Multivariate statistical analysis was carried out to categorize the enriched geochemical bounded elements. The obtained concentrations in mg/kg were compared with those published worldwide. The results are in line with those published in the literature. However, ratio of a specific metal over the total concentrations [Cmetal/Ctotal∗100] such as such as Pb (3.9%), V (4.9%), Al (5.5%), Sb (10%), Th (11.5%), Na (11.5%), and I (14.8%) were observed to be relatively high. Notable concentrations for seasalt elements Na and I were marked at locations near to salty lakes and reservoirs. The extent of contamination was quantified for the obtained elements using pollution and enriched indices. ArcGIS technology was used to interpolate and construct the spatial distribution maps for the enriched elements. Metal pollution index was mapped to identify four peak areas that might pose a significant hazard to the human and the environment.

The heavy metal removal from wastewater is very important due to their persistent character in aquatic environment. The use of wooden sawdust is emerging as a potential alternative to the existing conventional technologies for the removal of metal ions from aqueous solutions. The aim of this work is to study the Cu(II) removal of from water by unconventional waste products including the wooden sawdust of poplar, cherry, spruce and hornbeam. The FT-IR spectra of the studied wooden sawdust confirmed the presence of functional groups that have potential for heavy metal binding. The highest efficiency of Cu(II) removal was observed for poplar wooden sawdust at static (86 %) and dynamic (88 %) adsorption experiments. Data obtained by neutron activation analysis revealed that ion exchange is also a mechanism of metal removal by the selected wooden sawdust.

Mosses have been used for monitoring trace elements airborne pollution due to their ability to accumulate elements directly from wet and dry deposition. During the 2015/2016 European moss survey, ninety-five samples of Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw. were collected in Northern Greece. Mosses were analyzed to the content of Neutron Activation Analysis and the concentrations of thirty-three elements were determined. The contamination factors for the following elements Al, As, V, Ni, Fe, Cr, Zn were calculated. Information about air quality was provided through the study of atmospheric deposition of trace elements in mosses in the vicinity of Northern Greece.