ABSTRACT

In order to assess the effect of “overuse” in natural parks, roadside soil and dusts were collected from Kamikochi, Chubu Sangaku National Park (Kamikochi) to Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Also, the concentrations of As, Sb, Hg and 5 other heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb) were measured. The higher concentrations of these 8 elements were observed at Kamikochi Bus Terminal, Kama Tunnel, Matsumoto Interchange and the east exit of Matsumoto Station. These 4 sites are strongly affected by the presence of automobiles, which is believed to be responsible for the higher concentrations. Moreover, the concentrations were increased in the summer, probably due to the corresponding traffic volume, related to the tourist season. Many significant positive correlations among the 8 element concentrations were found as well. The information above suggested that As, Sb and Hg distributions are closely related to automobiles, which play an important role in transportation of visitors, meaning the anthropogenic pollution.