Influence of Cadmium and Lead Ions Toxicity on Lettuce Seeds Germination: a Preliminary Analysis

Phytoremediation gained an intensive attention as a promising technology applied for remediation of contaminated soils. Soil contamination with heavy metals became a serious problem due to the toxicity of these compounds on plant development and also on human health. Moreover, most heavy metals are included in the list of substances classified according to their potential to cause cancer. All these facts impose detailed assessments and development of a series of measures to reduce the amounts of metal ions, especially in areas where heavy metal concentrations exceed the thresholds alert. The main purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of two heavy metals known for their high toxicity (cadmium and lead) on lettuce seedlings growth. Our data will contribute to the extension of knowledge in the field of plants development at different levels of heavy metal contamination. The data may also be considered as support information for further application of plants for removing heavy metals from the environment through phytoremediation.