scholarly journals Use of Black Poplar Leaves for the Biomonitoring of Air Pollution in an Urban Agglomeration

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 548
Author(s):  
Levente Levei ◽  
Oana Cadar ◽  
Vanda Babalau-Fuss ◽  
Eniko Kovacs ◽  
Anamaria Iulia Torok ◽  
...  

Trees are considered to be an effective tool for metal pollution biomonitoring. In the present study, the concentration of metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Co, Ni, Fe, Mn, and Al) in black poplar leaves (Populus nigra L.), together with the concentration of PM10, PM2.5, PM1, and total suspended particles (TSP), was used for the air pollution biomonitoring in 12 sites from various areas of Cluj-Napoca city, Romania. The concentration of PM10 in the air was high, but their metal content was low. However, Cu, Pb, and Zn were moderately enriched, while Cd was highly enriched in PM10 due to anthropogenic sources. The average metal concentration in leaves decreased in the order Zn>>Fe>Mn>Al>Pb>Ni>Cu>Co>Cd and increased with the increase of PM10 concentration, indicating that poplar leaves are sensitive to air pollution. The principal component analysis indicated that traffic, waste burning, road dust resuspension, and soil contamination are the main anthropogenic sources of metals in poplar leaves. The results indicated that black poplar leaves are a suitable biomonitoring tool for metal pollution, in urban environments.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengwu Cui ◽  
Yang Wang ◽  
Rui Yu ◽  
Yong Yu ◽  
Nana Luo

Abstract 124 road dust samples were collected from an urban area of Shenyang, a typical heavily industrial city in Northeast China, to study the concentration, pollution level, source, spatial distribution, and health risk of heavy metals. The average concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were 1.802, 132.1, 60.33, 778.3, 54.80, 86.73, and 391.2 mg/kg, respectively. The levels of metal pollution ranged from minimal to extremely high, with average levels in the ranked order: Mn < Ni < Cr < Cu < Pb < Zn < Cd, indicating that the road dust was heavily polluted by Cd, Zn, and Pb. Source identification results demonstrated that Cr, Mn, and Ni had mixed sources including industrial emissions and weathering of soil, pavements, and building materials, while Cu, Pb, and Zn mainly originated from traffic and industrial activities, and Cd had a complex mixture of sources (with various anthropogenic sources). Hotspots of heavy metal pollution levels were closely correlated with local anthropogenic activities, such as industrial discharge, traffic-related exhaust emissions, and agricultural activities. Furthermore, health risk assessment revealed significant non-carcinogenic risks for children from multiple metals, and the carcinogenic risk assessment identified significant risks for children from Cd, with ingestion being the main exposure pathway for carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk for adults and children. However, no health risk was observed due to dermal and inhalation exposure pathways.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 534-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Yang ◽  
Marina Vance ◽  
Feiyun Tou ◽  
Andrea Tiwari ◽  
Min Liu ◽  
...  

Nanoparticles (NPs) resulting from urban road dust resuspension are an understudied class of pollutants in urban environments with strong potential for health hazards.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
GOPAL KRISHAN ◽  
S.K. CHANDNIHA ◽  
A.K. LOHANI ◽  
BRIJESH KUMAR YADAV ◽  
NARESH KUMAR ARORA ◽  
...  

Assessment of heavy metals in soils is important in context of human health as these may either pollute the agricultural crops or may move deeper into the groundwater. There has been no such work been carried out in the soils of Mewat district. In the present study, to investigate the soil heavy metal pollution characteristics 15 samples and 3 typical soil profiles were collected from 2 blocks of Mewat district, Haryana and were analyzed for contents of Arsenic (As), copper(Cu), cadmium (Cd), zinc(Zn), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and nickel(Ni). Concentrations of As, Cd and Ni in soils are less than their toxicity levels while concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu are found exceeding the toxicity levels. Based on the results, soil in the study area are polluted by heavy metals viz. Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu. According to principal component analysis, distinct groups of heavy metals were discriminated between natural or anthropogenic sources.


2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 1148-1158
Author(s):  
Maryam Zare Khosheghbal ◽  
Marjan Esmaeilzadeh ◽  
Fereydoun Ghazban ◽  
Mohammad Ebrahim Charmsazi

Abstract This study aimed at exploring the extent of likely sources of heavy metal pollution in sediments of the Khajeh Kory riverbed in the north of Iran. In order to assess the heavy metal contamination, samples from surface sediments in 10 stations covering the river were collected and analysed to determine heavy metal contents including Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Mn, Co, Al, and Fe. Three guidelines were applied to assess the heavy metal contamination. Compared with the global average values, the calculated enrichment factors indicated high values for Fe, Mn, Cd, Co, and Cu, and very high values for Pb and Zn. The results obtained from principal component analysis revealed that the geogenic and anthropogenic sources were the main causes of the widespread enrichment of heavy metals in the riverbed sediments. The results suggested that the riverbed sediments were contaminated with heavy metals, which contribute to the freshwater toxicity in the ecosystem of the Khajeh Kory River.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 01042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elwira Zajusz-Zubek ◽  
Anna Mainka ◽  
Konrad Kaczmarek

The analysis reported in this study was performed to characterize the concentrations and water-soluble content of trace elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb and Se) in PM2.5, PM10 and PM2.5-10 samples collected in the surroundings of power plants in southern Poland. The solubility of trace elements bound to PM2.5 and PM10 was higher than for PM2.5-10, and in most cases, significant differences were revealed in the relative percentage concentrations of the water-soluble fractions. The occurrence of Cd, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb and Se in first PCA (Principal Component Analysis) factor (PC1) – indicate coal combustion processes as the potential source of these elements. Other factors indicate two further anthropogenic sources: the resuspension of road dust due to vehicular activities and waste burning in domestic sources – factor (PC2), and, soil dust sources affected by fugitive dust from the mining processes and unpaved roads, as well as transportation and deposition of coal –factor (PC3).


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3SI) ◽  
pp. 411
Author(s):  
N. H. Quyet ◽  
Le Hong Khiem ◽  
V. D. Quan ◽  
T. T. T. My ◽  
M. V. Frontasieva ◽  
...  

The aim of this paper was the application of statistical analysis including principal component analysis to evaluate heavy metal pollution obtained by moss technique in the air of Ha Noi and its surrounding areas and to evaluate potential pollution sources. The concentrations of 33 heavy metal elements in 27 samples of Barbula Indica moss in the investigated region collected in December of 2016 in the investigated area have been examined using multivariate statistical analysis. Five factors explaining 80% of the total variance were identified and their potential sources have been discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 1329-1333
Author(s):  
Miodrag Šmelcerović

The protection of the environment and people’s health from negative influences of the pollution of air as a medium of the environment requires constant observing of the air quality in accordance with international standards, the analysis of emission and imission of polluting matters in the air, and their connection with the sources of pollution. Having in mind the series of laws and delegated legislations which define the field of air pollution, it is necessary to closely observe these long-term processes, discovering cause-and-effect relationships between the activities of anthropogenic sources of emission of polluting matters and the level of air degradation. The relevant evaluation of the air quality of a certain area can be conducted if the level of concentration of polluting matters characteristic for the pollution sources of this area is observed in a longer period of time. The data obtained by the observation of the air pollution are the basis for creation of the recovery program of a certain area. Vranje is a town in South Serbia where there is a bigger number of anthropogenic pollution sources that can significantly diminish the air quality. The cause-and-effect relationship of the anthropogenic sources of pollution is conducted related to the analysis of systematized data which are in the relevant data base of the authorized institution The Institute of Public Health Vranje, for the time period between the year of 2012. and 2017. By the analysis of data of imission concentrations of typical polluting matters, the dominant polluting matters were determined on the territory of the town of Vranje, the ones that are the causers of the biggest air pollution and the risk for people’s health. Analysis of the concentration of soot, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides indicates their presence in the air of Vranje town area in concentrations that do not exceed the permitted limit values annually. The greatest pollution is caused by the soot content in the air, especially in the winter period when the highest number of days with the values above the limit was registered. By perceiving the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors, it is clear that the concentration of polluting matters can be decreased only by establishing control over anthropogenic sources of pollution, and thus it can be contributed to the improvement of the air quality of this urban environment.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 184
Author(s):  
Javier Cárcel-Carrasco ◽  
Manuel Pascual-Guillamón ◽  
Fidel Salas-Vicente

Today, the design and remodeling of urban environments is being sought in order to achieve green, healthy, and sustainable cities. The effect of air pollution in cities due to vehicle combustion gases is an important part of the problem. Due to the indirect effect caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, political powers in Europe have imposed confinement measures for citizens by imposing movement restrictions in large cities. This indirect measure has given us a laboratory to show how the reduction in vehicle circulation affects in a short time the levels of air pollution in cities. Therefore, this article analyzes the effect in different European cities such as Milan, Prague, Madrid, Paris, and London. These cities have been chosen due to their large amount of daily road traffic that generates high levels of pollution; therefore, it can clearly show the fall in these pollutants in the air in the analyzed period. The results shown through this study indicate that the reduction in combustion vehicles greatly affects the levels of pollution in different cities. In these periods of confinement, there was an improvement in air quality where pollutant values dropped to 80% compared to the previous year. This should serve to raise awareness among citizens and political powers to adopt measures that induce sustainable transport systems.


Author(s):  
Christian Acal ◽  
Ana M. Aguilera ◽  
Annalina Sarra ◽  
Adelia Evangelista ◽  
Tonio Di Battista ◽  
...  

AbstractFaced with novel coronavirus outbreak, the most hard-hit countries adopted a lockdown strategy to contrast the spread of virus. Many studies have already documented that the COVID-19 control actions have resulted in improved air quality locally and around the world. Following these lines of research, we focus on air quality changes in the urban territory of Chieti-Pescara (Central Italy), identified as an area of criticality in terms of air pollution. Concentrations of $$\hbox {NO}_{{2}}$$ NO 2 , $$\hbox {PM}_{{10}}$$ PM 10 , $$\hbox {PM}_{2.5}$$ PM 2.5 and benzene are used to evaluate air pollution changes in this Region. Data were measured by several monitoring stations over two specific periods: from 1st February to 10 th March 2020 (before lockdown period) and from 11st March 2020 to 18 th April 2020 (during lockdown period). The impact of lockdown on air quality is assessed through functional data analysis. Our work makes an important contribution to the analysis of variance for functional data (FANOVA). Specifically, a novel approach based on multivariate functional principal component analysis is introduced to tackle the multivariate FANOVA problem for independent measures, which is reduced to test multivariate homogeneity on the vectors of the most explicative principal components scores. Results of the present study suggest that the level of each pollutant changed during the confinement. Additionally, the differences in the mean functions of all pollutants according to the location and type of monitoring stations (background vs traffic), are ascribable to the $$\hbox {PM}_{{10}}$$ PM 10 and benzene concentrations for pre-lockdown and during-lockdown tenure, respectively. FANOVA has proven to be beneficial to monitoring the evolution of air quality in both periods of time. This can help environmental protection agencies in drawing a more holistic picture of air quality status in the area of interest.


2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-64
Author(s):  
Sebastian Dominik Dziubak

The paper presents the composition of atmospheric air as a mixture of gases that make up the solid and variable components, and the definitions of air pollutants are referenced. Gaseous and solid pollutants (dust) of the atmospheric air have been defined. Dusts were divided according to various criteria and their properties were given. Exemplary courses of immission of the fraction of solid particles are given, indicating a strong dependence of the immission on the seasons, days of the week and day and night. The sources and characteristics of artificial and natural pollutants in the atmospheric air are presented. It has been shown that the main sources of anthropogenic pollution in addition to industry and the automotive industry. Cars are a source of gaseous and particulate pollutants PM, and they also emit pollution from brake and clutch lining wear, as well as from tire and road wear. The main sources of natural air pollution were discussed, including volcanic eruptions, fires in landfills, forests, steppes and sand storms, as well as mineral dust (road dust) carried from the ground by vehicles. The properties of road dust are discussed: chemical and fractional composition, density, dust concentration in the air. It has been shown that the two basic components of the dust, silica and corundum, whose share in dust reaches 95%, also have the highest hardness, which may have a decisive influence on the wear of engine components. Various valuesof dust concentration in the air were presented depending on the type and condition of the ground and the conditions of use of vehicles. Keywords: mechanical engineering, internal combustion engines, air pollution sources, road dust


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document