Metal Distribution in Plants Around the Cement Factory in Erzurum

Cement is the basic component of concrete used for building construction and civil engineering. On average,

approximately one ton of concrete is produced annually for each person in the World. Companies producing

cement with the developing technology are still producing in higher volumes compared to the past.

Increasing cement production levels has become one of the leading causes of environmental pollution1

.

The atmosphere polluted by cement plants is known to contain high levels of heavy metals such as aluminum,

manganese, lead, cadmium, nickel, zinc, copper, and beryllium. Heavy metals in cement dust play an

important role in disrupting various metabolic processes in plants and therefore, cause detrimental effects

on the growth and development of plants2

. It has been clearly demonstrated by various studies that direct

uptake by air and indirect uptake from the soil through roots cause heavy-metal accumulation in plants;

pollution originating from the cement industry disrupts the balance between macro and micro elements in

plants and causes significant changes in the amount of inorganic elements3,4

.

In this study, it was made with plant samples collected from three regions at different distances (near, middle,

far) to the cement factory. As the distance to the cement factory decreased, the heavy-metal concentration

increased. These values do not create a serious toxic effect in acute use of the plant; however, they can

accumulate in the body with regular consumption of the plant, which can lead to chronic toxicity. Cement

factories: pollute nature directly and indirectly through dust particles scattered around during production,

packaging, and loading. These dust particles are carried by the wind and accumulate in area close to and far

from the factory and affect human beings both through the air and the foods we consume5

. For this reason,

our first goal should be to prevent the spread of dust and other missions in order to protect the soil, air,

water, plant around the factory and people6

.