Effects of fluoride emissions from industry on the fluoride concentration of soils and vegetation

Abstract The effects of fluoride emissions, from an aluminium reduction plant in Greece, on the concentration of fluoride in soils and natural vegetation and also the relation between injury and fluoide content of plants were investigated. Fluoride emissions from the factory caused toxicity to natural vegetation in the adjoining area. Some plant species accumulated high fluoride levels in the leaves and exhibited acute necrosis, chlorosis or both. Others did not show visible injury, in spite of their high fluoride accumulation. The intensity of symptoms changed a great deal from one individual plant to the other or even from leaves of the same plant. The average levels of fluoride in vegetation ranged from 621.2 to 257.2 ppm in severely damaged areas (zone I) and from 144.3 to 64.1 ppm in lightly damaged areas (zone III). The corresponding fluoride levels in the controls was 15.4−8.2 ppm. In soils total fluoride concentrations ranged from 823.5 to 297.6 respectively; the levels in controls ranged from 108.6 to 95.3 ppm.