Mosses as a bioindicator of air pollution along the Lepenc river in the Republic of Kosovo

This study investigates the distribution and potential impact of heavy metals: cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, nickel, lead, and zinc, in moss samples collected from 20 sites along the Lepenc river in Kosovo, by using Inductively Coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Statistical analysis (minimum, maximum, mean, median, etc), cluster analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and pollution indices (Contamination Factor and Pollution Load Index) were performed to better explain the data of metals concentrations in the moss samples. Low levels of contamination were recorded in samples from the Brezovica area, a mountainous area with minimal anthropogenic influence. Samples from the Kaçanik area were notably enriched in Fe, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, and Co, possibly reflecting the influence of vehicular emissions, urban dust, and ongoing construction activities. The highest contamination levels were observed in samples 19 and 20, collected from the industrial region of Hani i Elezit.
These samples exceeded critical contamination factor (CF) thresholds for multiple elements (Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, and Pb),
marking them as pollution hotspots. Furthermore, pollution load index (PLIzone) for entire area was 5.7, confirmed
significant pollution at these study locations. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted environmental monitoring and pollution mitigation strategies, particularly in urbanized zones such as Ferizaj and in industrial centers like Hani i Elezit and Kaçanik.