Assessment of Soil and Plant Contamination by Select Heavy Metals Along a Major European Highway

Our study examined soil and plant material for the contents of some elements along route E 75 through Serbia (the section from Belgrade to Presevo), a length of 400 km. European route E 75 is part of the International B-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe. Samples of soil and aerial parts of plant material were sampled from both sides of lanes at a distance of about 8 km and at 10, 30, 50, and 400 m perpendicular to the direction of the route. In the soil samples we determined pH in 1MKCl and content of total concentrations of Pb, Cu, Ni, and Hg. Plant materials were analyzed for Pb, Cu, Ni, and Hg. It can be concluded that, besides anthropogenic pollution that is reflected in the excessive use of plant protection products and fertilizers and also the impact of air pollution from motor vehicles in certain sections of the examined area, the dominant influence on concentration of some examined elements comes from geo-chemical composition of parent material from which the soils were developed.