Contamination of Roadside Vegetation and Soil with Lead in Three Towns in Ashanti, Ghana

Abstract

When roadside vegetation and soil samples from three towns in Ashanti Region of Ghana, were analyzed for lead, the soil samples had larger amounts than tree ,barks and the tree barks in turn had greater concentrations than grass sample The lead content demonstrated a distinct trend of distribution alongside the roads in the three towns. The portions of the tree bark facing the roads had higher concentrations of lead than the portions facing away from the roads. The lead concentration in the tree barks, grass and ail decreased linearly with the distance from the road. The source Hof contamination was lead aerosols from the combustion' of gasoline containing lead additives for antiknock purposes.