Investigation of heavy metal accumulation in settlements near the seashore of Istanbul

In this study, samples taken from P.orientalis in Istanbul, one of the most populated cities in the world, in particular Beşiktaş, Tuzla, Pendik, Kadıköy, Fatih ve Sarıyer coastal area. Samples includes the leaves, barks and the soil it grows on and in those samples heavy metal concentrations (Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn, Pb, Ni, Cd, Cr) are detected. The first step of the process for collected plant and soil samples has been taken in the laboratory. Then heavy metal analysis has been performed by ICP-MS method. The datas collected from the plant and soil have been evaluated statistically within the Statistical Package Program, SPSS 22. It has been determined that there are differences in methal concentrations between washed leaves and unwashed leaves. When the collected data evaluated, it has been observed that the heavy methal contamination is intense around Tuzla. Lastly it has been concluded that P.orientalis which is widely grown in cities can be used as a biomonitor to detect heavy metal contamination. Keywords: Heavy metal, Biomonitor, İstanbul, ICP-MS, P. orientalis