Pollution of vineyards by atmospheric lead

Abstract Lead accumulation in vineyards exposed to automobile exhaust gases has been studied by means of three indicator materials (grapes, leaves and soil) sampled at increasing distance from the source. The regression analysis of concentration data on the logarithm of the distance, based on an accepted model, shows that these three materials are suitable for detecting the extent of pollution. Far from the source, where the polluting effect is negligible, the mean typical levels of lead in these materials are 0.43, 6.7 and 16.2 μg/g dry weight respectively. The contribution of the atmospheric lead to the pollution of plant materials, at various distances from the source, is thus simply evaluated. The surface contamination for grapes and leaves is also discussed.