Antimony and arsenic uptake by vegetation growing at abandoned mines

This paper investigates antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) occurrence in plants (Pistacia lentiscus), an evergreen shrub, collected at abandoned mines in Sardinia. Maximum concentrations observed in plants were 22 μg/g Sb and 0.35 μg/g As, with concentrations accumulated in roots being generally higher than those in leaves. The ranges of amounts washed out from leaves were 0.003-0.088 μg/g Sb and 0.002-0.024 μg/g As. Antimony and arsenic in vegetation samples collected in the mine area were much higher than concentrations observed in plants collected on the slopes upstream of the mine, although at levels much lower than observed in plants growing at mine sites elsewhere.