The comparative study of heavy metals contamination of honey and flowers coming from a chemically polluted area

Changes in the quality of bee honey are also caused by the contamination with micro-polluting agents, toxic to consumers. This research is about chemical contamination of honey. The honey used in this study was harvested from beehives situated in Cop a Mica region, well known for the ecological unbalances induced by pollution with non-ferrous metals. The amounts of Pb, Cd and Zn contained in the samples harvested in the area specified above have been determined using an atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS). Amounts of heavy metals above the admitted limit by the OMS 975/88 have been discovered. This study focuses on the relationship between the amount of heavy metals found in three different lots of honey and in flowers. The results suggest that honey could be used to detect contaminating agents from the environment.