Metal pollution around Norwegian industries studied by analysis of naturally growing moss samples. 2015 survey.

Abstract

On request from the Norwegian Environment Agency, a survey of atmospheric deposition of heavy metals around industrial enterprises in Norway has been carried out. The participation was voluntary and 22 industries located at 17 different sites financed their own participation. The survey is based on analysis of samples of naturally growing moss collected around the enterprises during the summer of 2015 and includes 57 different elements. For a majority of the sites this survey is a followup of corresponding surveys carried out in 2000, 2005, and 2010. In general the results show that deposition of heavy metals close to the industries depends closely on the industrial processes used as well as the local topographic and meteorological conditions. The results are evaluated relative to corresponding background levels in moss in parts of Norway with low impact of air pollution. Like in previous surveys, the generally most polluted industrial location is Mo i Rana, followed by Odda. At most sites only minor general improvement is observed since the previous survey in 2010.