Distribution of Some Heavy Metals in Different Hawthorn Organs

Abstract

This paper investigates the magnitude and distribution of Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu bioaccumulation in hawthorn flowers, leaves and fruits sampled from Copşa Mică surrounding areas affected by historical pollution. The accumulation and distribution of Cd and Zn is as it follows: flowers-leavesfruits whereas for Cu the order is: flowers-fruits-leaves. According to the results, Pb accumulation isn’t significantly influenced by the sampling organ. The Cd amounts in studied organs exceeded the proposed limit of 0.3 mg/kg by WHO for medicinal herbs and other herbal products and that is why their use as health promoting pharmaceuticals is not recommended due to their significant Cd contamination.