The objective of this study was to determine and compare levels of heavy metals in the leaves of Plantago major and the soil near the root zone. The study was conducted in the region of Durrës city, in Albania. The metals studied in this work were Pb, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Ni. Heavy metals presented in leaves of plants and soil have been detected using an atomic absorber spectrophotometer model NovAA400 (Analitik Jena).
The results show that the determined metals were present in the soil and leaves of Plantago major. The concentrations of metals found in soil change in the order Zn>Pb>Ni>Mn>Cu. The highest concentration was found for Zn and Pb. In our study, results showed a good correlation between Pb and Zn in the soil, suggesting the same origin of pollution. Plantago major showed the ability to absorb metals and the concentration of metals in leaves showed a good correlation with the concentration of metals in soil.