Taiwan's industrial heavy metal pollution threatens terrestrial biota

Environ Pollut. 2006 Sep;143(2):327-34. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2005.11.023. Epub 2006 Jan 18.

Abstract

The bioconcentration levels of essential (Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Zn) and non-essential (As, Cd, Hg, Pb, and Sn) elements have been investigated in different terrestrial biota such as fungi, plant, earthworm, snail, crab, insect, amphibian, lizard, snake, and bat including the associated soil, to investigate the ecosystem health status in Kenting National Park, Taiwan. High bioconcentrations of Cd, Hg, and Sn in snail, earthworm, crab, lizard, snake, and bat indicated a contaminated terrestrial ecosystem. High concentrations of Cd, Hg, and Sn in plant species, effective bioaccumulation of Cd by earthworm, snail, crab and bat, as well as very high levels of Hg found in invertebrates, amphibians, and reptiles revealed a strong influence from industrial pollution on the biotic community. This study for the first time presents data on the impact of heavy metal pollution on various terrestrial organisms in Taiwan.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biodiversity
  • Body Burden
  • Cadmium / analysis
  • Chiroptera
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods*
  • Environmental Pollution / adverse effects*
  • Environmental Pollution / analysis
  • Food Chain
  • Fungi / chemistry
  • Industrial Waste*
  • Insecta / chemistry
  • Invertebrates / chemistry
  • Lead / analysis
  • Lizards
  • Mercury / analysis
  • Metals, Heavy / analysis
  • Metals, Heavy / toxicity*
  • Mining*
  • Oligochaeta / chemistry
  • Plants / chemistry
  • Snails
  • Snakes
  • Spectrum Analysis
  • Taiwan
  • Tin / analysis

Substances

  • Industrial Waste
  • Metals, Heavy
  • Cadmium
  • Lead
  • Tin
  • Mercury