Due to intense road traffic, plants are exposed to stress factors, mainly fumes, dust from rubber grinding and clutch dust. Among numerous chemicals deposited near roads, heavy metals, e.g. lead and cadmium, are the most dangerous. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of distance from a  road on the content of lead and cadmium in some grasses and their influence on health and safety of livestock. The following grasses  were collected from grasslands located near the S2, an international road running near Siedlce, a town in the east of Poland: orchard grass, meadow foxtail and tall oat grass. The plant material was taken 1 m,  5m, and 10 m from a roadside ditch at sites approximately distant 100 m from one  another. From individual  batches,  5 – 7 samples were made for each species of plants and from each distance from the road edge. The content of lead and  cadmium was estimated using the ASA method. The accumulation of lead and cadmium in grass growing along the  expressway depended on the grass species and distance from the road. Regardless of the grass species, the highest level of heavy metals was found in the plant material collected 5 m from the road, and an average lead content was nearly 17-fold higher than that of cadmium. Irrespective of the distance from the road, lead was more readily accumulated in tall oat grass and meadow foxtail, whereas cadmium was mainly absorbed by orchard grass. The grass species recommended for sowing on soil contaminated with lead is orchard grass, but meadow foxtail is a better choice to sow on land polluted by cadmium.  

19.1.2014