BIBLIOS

Document type
Journal articles

Document subtype
Full paper

Title
Guidelines for biomonitoring persistent organic pollutants (POPs), using lichens and aquatic mosses – A review

Participants in the publication
Sofia Augusto (Author)
Cristina Máguas (Author)
Dep. Biologia Vegetal
cE3c
cE3c
Cristina Branquinho (Author)

Summary
During the last decades, awareness regarding persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), has become a cutting-edge topic, due to their toxicity, bioaccumulation and persistency in the environment. Monitoring of PCDD/Fs and PAHs in air and water has proven to be insufficient to capture deposition and effects of these compounds in the biota. To overcome this limitation, environmental biomonitoring using lichens and aquatic mosses, have aroused as promising tools. The main aim of this work is to provide a review of: i) factors that influence the interception and accumulation of POPs by lichens; ii) how lichens and aquatic bryophytes can be used to track different pollution sources and; iii) how can these biomonitors contribute to environmental health studies. This review will allow designing a set of guidelines to be followed when using biomonitors to assess environmental POP pollution.


Where published
Environmental Pollution

Publication Identifiers
ISSN - 0269-7491

Publisher
Elsevier BV



Document Identifiers
DOI - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.05.019
URL - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.05.019

Rankings
SCOPUS Q1 (2013) - 1.973 - Pollution

Keywords
Bioindicator Biomonitor Air pollution Human health POP