Pd, Cu, and Pb Atmospheric Deposition Study in Minsk Region of Belarus based on Moss Analysis and AAS

Atmospheric deposition of trace element in Belarus was monitored by the moss technique, for the first time. This technique widely used in Europe for air pollution studies. Fifty eight samples of moss species Pleurozium shreberi and. Hylocomium splendens collected at 58 sites, predominantly over the Minsk Region, were subjected to Atomic Absorption Spectrometry to determine concentration of Pb, Cd, and Cu. The Geographic Information Systems technology was applied to construct maps of elemental distributions of these elements over the sampled area. Comparison of the results obtained with analogous data from the European countries having participated in the moss survey 2005/2006 showed relatively low contamination levels for these elements.