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Monitoring air pollution and environmental health are crucial to ensure viable cities. We assessed the usefulness of the Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) as a composite index of environmental health. Fine and coarse dust amount and elemental concentrations of Celtis occidentalis and Tilia × europaea leaves were measured in June and September at three sampling sites (urban, industrial, and rural) in Debrecen city (Hungary) to assess the usefulness of APTI. The correlation between APTI values and dust amount and elemental concentrations was also studied. Fine dust, total chlorophyll, and elemental concentrations were the most sensitive indicators of pollution. Based on the high chlorophyll and low elemental concentration of tree leaves, the rural site was the least disturbed by anthropogenic activities, as expected. We demonstrated that fine and coarse dust amount and elemental concentrations of urban tree leaves are especially useful for urban air quality monitoring. Correlations between APTI and other measured parameters were also found. Both C. occidentalis and T. europaea were sensitive to air pollution based on their APTI values. Thus, the APTI of tree leaves is an especially useful proxy measure of air pollution, as well as environmental health.

Atmospheric aerosol particles containing heavy metal contaminants deposit on the surface of plant leaves and the topsoil. Our aim was to reveal the pollution along an industrial–urban–rural gradient (IURG) in the central provinces of Thailand. Leaf samples from Ficus religiosa and Mimusops elengi were collected along with topsoil samples under the selected trees. Al, Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations were determined by ICP-OES in soil and plant samples. Soils were not polluted according to the critical value; furthermore, the elemental composition did not differ among the sampling sites of the IURG. The rural site was also polluted due to heavy amounts of untreated wastewater of the adjacent Chao Phraya River. Bioaccumulation factors of Ba, Cu, and Mn was higher than 1, suggesting active accumulation of these elements in plant tissue. Our findings proved that the deposition of air pollutants and the resistance to air pollutants in the case of plant leaves were different and that humus materials of the soils had relevant role in bioaccumulation of Al, Ba, and Cu. At the same time, the geochemical background, the source of pollution, and the local plant species greatly influence the metal content of any given environmental compartment.

Air pollution has a large impact on the biochemical and morphological parameters of plants, and also decreases their growth and overall health. Therefore, biomonitoring is a reliable and cost-effective method to assess air quality. The tolerance of plant species can be assessed with the use of Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI), which is calculated from ascorbic acid content, relative water content, leaf extract pH, and total leaf chlorophyll content of tree leaves. In this study, we reviewed published studies from several countries around the world about APTI. Performance of APTI was also evaluated comparing industrial, roadside and urban areas. In our work, APTI of Tilia sp. and Celtis occidentalis were used and evaluated in Debrecen city, Hungary. Leaf samples were collected from 12 areas in the city. Similar to earlier studies, ascorbic acid content was determined by titration with iodine solution. Chlorophyll was extracted from leaf samples with ethanol, and it was measured using spectrophotometric analysis. Relative water content was measured by the weight method. Comparison of selected studies showed that China and India are the most polluted countries and they had plant species with the highest APTI values. Lowest APTI was reported from Iran which is one of most airpolluted regions in the world. In Hungary, APTI was moderate compared to other countries. The tolerance of plant species at different study sites decreased in the following order: industrial > roadside > urban areas. This suggests the best conditions for sensitive species' development and growth in urban areas, while the presence of industrial activities in certain areas demands higher tolerance from plants.