Identification of environmental contamination by monitoring harmful substances in a biomaterial

Onečišćenje okoliša predstavlja veliki problem današnjice. Čovjek nemarno, možda i nesvjesno, zbog svoje želje za razvojem uništava okoliš, odnosno njegove sastavnice do nepovratnog stanja, ne mareći pri tome za budućnost i potrebe svojih potomaka za čistim i zdravim okolišem. Zbog toga se sve veća pažnja u znanstvenom i stručnom smjeru polaže u razvoj metoda i postupaka zaštite okoliša. Osim sada već standardnih metoda uzorkovanja i ispitivanja zraka, vode i tla znanstvenici se sve više okreću jeftinijem i dostupnijim pokazateljima stanja okoliša. Kako bi se promjene u okolišu pratile na što prihvatljiviji način, uvodi se biomonitoring kod kojeg znanstvenici koriste biomaterijal poput pčela, meda, školjaka, mahovina, lišajeva, gljiva kako bi pratili stanje okoliša pod utjecajem onečišćenja te kako bi pratili kako to onečišćenje djeluje na vrste odabranog biomaterijala, kao i ekosustav u cjelini. Kod biomonitoringa se uzimaju uzorci biomaterijala, oni se zatim pripremaju na odgovarajući način i podvrgavaju se standardnim tehnikama određivanja onečišćujućih tvari. Na temelju dobivenih rezultata dobiva se jasna predodžba o stanju okoliša, o izvorima onečišćujućih tvari kao i o njihovom utjecaju na floru, faunu, te naposlijetku na samog čovjeka.Environmental pollution is a major problem nowdays. Because of his desire for development man carelessly, perhaps even unknowingly destroys the environment and its components, almost to an irreversible state, not caring eather about the future or for the needs of his descendants for the clean and healthy environment. Therefore, more attention is paid to the development of environmental protection methods and procedures. In addition to standarda methods of sampling and analysing air, water and soil, scientists are increasingly turning to cheaper and more accessible environmental state indicators. In order to monitor changes in the environment in the most acceptable way, biomonitoring is introduced. Iti s a monitoring method in which scientists use biomaterials such as bees, honey, shellfish, mosses, lichens, fungi to monitor the state of the environment under the influence of contamination and to monitor how contamination impacts the species of selected biomaterial, as well as the ecosystem as a whole. In biomonitoring, biomaterial samples are taken, then prepared appropriately and subjected to standard contaminant determination techniques. Based on the given results, a clear idea can be obtained about the present state of the environment, the sources of contaminants as well as their impact on flora, fauna and, ultimately, on man himself