Analytical Service Branch, National Measurement Institute , Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, Australian Government, Riverside Corporate Park, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW 2113, Australia.
Environ Sci Technol. 2018 Feb 6;52(3):991-1001. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.7b04084. Epub 2018 Jan 9.
Trace element concentrations (As, Mn, Pb, and Zn) and Pb isotopic compositions were analyzed in honey bees, wax, and honey along with co-located soil and dust samples from Sydney metropolitan and Broken Hill, Australia. Compared with the other trace elements, Pearson correlations show that Pb concentrations in soil and dust had the strongest relationship to corresponding values in honey bees and their products. Dust Pb was not only highly correlated to corresponding soil values (r = 0.806, p = 0.005), it was the strongest predictor of Pb concentrations in honey bees, wax, and honey (p = 0.001, 0.007, 0.017, respectively). Lead isotopic compositions (Pb/Pb and Pb/Pb) showed that honey bees and their products from Broken Hill were nearly identical (95-98%) to the composition of the local ore body. Samples of honey bees and their products collected from background sites adjacent to national parks in Sydney had Pb isotopic compositions (Pb/Pb = 1.138-1.159, Pb/Pb = 2.417-2.435) corresponding to local geogenic values (Pb/Pb = 1.123-1.176, Pb/Pb = 2.413-2.500). By contrast, honey bees and their products from Sydney metropolitan (Pb/Pb = 1.081-1.126, Pb/Pb = 2.352-2.408) were similar to aerosols measured during the period of leaded petrol use (Pb/Pb = 1.067-1.148, Pb/Pb = 2.341-2.410). These measurements show Pb concentrations and its isotopic compositions of honey bees, and their products can be used to trace both legacy and contemporary environmental contamination, particularly where sources are well documented. Moreover, this study demonstrates that legacy Pb emissions continue to be remobilized in dust, contaminating both food and ecological systems.
本研究分析了来自澳大利亚悉尼都会区和布洛肯山的蜂蜜蜂、蜂蜡和蜂蜜中的微量元素浓度（砷、锰、铅和锌）和铅同位素组成，以及与之对应的土壤和灰尘样本。与其他微量元素相比，皮尔逊相关分析表明，土壤和灰尘中的铅浓度与蜂蜜蜂及其产物中的对应值关系最密切。灰尘中的铅不仅与相应的土壤值高度相关（r=0.806，p=0.005），而且是蜂蜜蜂、蜂蜡和蜂蜜中铅浓度的最强预测因子（p=0.001，0.007，0.017）。铅同位素组成（Pb/Pb 和 Pb/Pb）表明，来自布洛肯山的蜂蜜蜂及其产物与当地矿体的组成几乎相同（95-98%）。从悉尼国家公园附近背景地点采集的蜂蜜蜂及其产物样本的铅同位素组成（Pb/Pb=1.138-1.159，Pb/Pb=2.417-2.435）与当地的地球成因值（Pb/Pb=1.123-1.176，Pb/Pb=2.413-2.500）相对应。相比之下，来自悉尼都会区的蜂蜜蜂及其产物（Pb/Pb=1.081-1.126，Pb/Pb=2.352-2.408）与含铅汽油使用期间测量的气溶胶相似（Pb/Pb=1.067-1.148，Pb/Pb=2.341-2.410）。这些测量结果表明，蜂蜜蜂及其产物中的铅浓度及其同位素组成可用于追踪遗留和当代环境污染，特别是在来源记录详细的情况下。此外，本研究表明，遗留的铅排放物继续在灰尘中重新迁移，污染食物和生态系统。
