Sweden: Toxic pollutants detected in urban greenery

A study conducted by the University of Lund, in Sweden, has identified elevated concentrations of hazardous pollutants within the green spaces of urban areas. This determination was made by analysing deceased hedgehogs discovered in Lund and adjacent areas of Scania’s southern region. The conclusions were based on examining the hedgehogs’ causes of mortality, which served as a “bioindicator” for identifying the substances contributing to environmental contamination. Tissue and organ samples from the deceased mammals revealed exposure to 11 distinct toxic pollutants, including heavy metals, and 48 organic environmental pollutants, such as lead, pesticides, plastic additives, heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, within public urban parks. This poses substantial risks to human health. Notably, the researchers detected considerable quantities of phthalates, the detrimental effects of which on human health are well-established, encompassing disruptions to the endocrine system, fertility, and fetal development, as well as the induction of allergic responses. According to Maria Hansson, a co-author of the study, these potentially detrimental substances originate from building materials, plastics, pesticides, atmospheric pollution, refuse, vehicular traffic, and contaminated soil.