Review of the Assessment of Industrial Emissions with Mosses

Commissioned by Norwegian Environmental Agency, NILU - Norwegian Institute for Air Research has surveyed the literature on the topic of “Assessment of industrial emissions using moss”. The purpose is to provide an overview of published knowledge on possible relationships between metal concentrations in moss and air quality, emissions, uptake in other organisms and impacts on environment and health. In addition, there was a request for information on whether other countries use moss surveys around industries and, if so, how the results are used by the authorities.

The literature search resulted in 51 relevant publications, which mostly are from the period 2016-2019. The results of these publications show that moss is a good passive sampler for airborne contaminants and can provide valuable information on chemical signature and deposition of metals. No studies have been found that relates concentration in moss to air quality or amount emission from selected industries. A single 2019 study attempts to link moss concentration in context of health effects. A survey among the participating countries in ICP-Vegetation shows that results from moss surveys so far not have been used by authorities in a regulatory context.