Experimental Analysis of the Effects of Gaseous Air Pollutants

Abstract

The type and extent of effects of an air pollutant on vegetation depend on the amount of pollutant present and on the genotypically and environmentally determined plant resistance. Therefore, the following requirements are necessary for establishing quantitative relationships between pollutant and effects, relationshipsthat serve as a basis for risk-prognoses and pollutant control measures. The extent of atmospheric pollutant load, in terms of concentration and exposure time, must first be determined by chemical-physical means. It is particularly important that the most effective component is monitored. For example, with fluoride the most important components are the water-soluble gaseous fluoride compounds, such as hydrofluoric acid (HF), silicon tetrafluoride (SiF₄), and fluorosilicic acid (H₂SiF₆) (Buck and Stratmann, 1965; Guderian et aI., 1969; Weinstein and Mandl, 1971).