Applying biological monitors and neutron activation analysis in studies of heavy-metal air pollution

Growing concerns about current and future levels of environmental pollution have led to an increased demand for experimental methods to study the environment. Although still under development, the application of biological monitors, or indicators, may provide important information on the levels, availability, and pathways of a variety of pollutants in the environment. Procedures in which the concentrations of trace substances in an organism are used as a measure of the concentrations or availability of these substances in certain parts of the environment are discussed in this article. Attention is focussed on the ''biomonitoring'' of heavy-metal air pollution and the role of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) in such procedures. To illustrate the value of the combination of biomonitoring and INAA in air pollution studies, some results obtained in a recent study in the Netherlands are given. 2 figs, 3 tabs