Abstract
Toxicity and accumulation of cadmium in body organs by eating contaminated food has an important role in endangering a human's health. Using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports, site 1, site 2 and site 3 were selected as polluted sites and site 4 was selected as the control site. Seedlings of buttonwood were prepared for 12 months then root, stem, and leaf samples were harvested and the amounts of cadmium element in stem and leaf organs together with the growth parameters were measured. This study determines the amount of cadmium accumulated in Platanus occidentalis. The respective cadmium concentrations in the root, leaf, and stem in site 1 were 382, 98, and 87; in site 2 they were 591, 122, and 94; and in site 3 they were 633, 151, and 104 mg/kg dry weight (DW). Furthermore, the comparison between accumulation and transfer of cadmium in the study showed more absorption of this metal by the root than that by the stem and leaf. The result of this research shows that buttonwood has the potential for cadmium accumulation without any serious damage to its growth. To control the extent of contamination in industrial areas, petrochemical industries, power plants and vast contaminated municipal areas, there is a great need for planting plants like buttonwood.
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