ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF SOME HEAVY METALS IN SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANT SPECIES ALONG A BUSY ROAD IN VRNJAČKA BANJA, SERBIA

This study reported the concentrations of Pb, Cd, Cr, Mn in parts of four medicinal plant species (Cichorium intybus L., Mentha×piperita L., Plantago lanceolata L., Verbascum densiflorum Bertol.) collected from two sites, one few meters away and the other 500 m away from a busy road in Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia. Heavy metals were determined by the atomic absorption method using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Similar content of tested metals in the soil of the tested locations was recorded, only there was more manganese in the soil closer to the road. The highest concentrations of heavy metals were found in the roots of plants closer to the road. The leaves and stem contain smaller quantities of these metals than root, but there are differences between the studied plant species. In conclusion, all examined metals were present in higher concentrations in plants at the location closest to the road than at the location further away from the road.