scholarly journals Insights into Elemental Composition and Sources of Fine and Coarse Particulate Matter in Dense Traffic Areas in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada

Toxics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 264
Author(s):  
Valbona Celo ◽  
Mahmoud M. Yassine ◽  
Ewa Dabek-Zlotorzynska
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Road Dust ◽  
Pollution Source ◽  
Point Sources ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Metal Species ◽  
Redox Activity ◽  
Pmf Model ◽  
Tire Wear ◽  
Pm2.5 And Pm10

Traffic is a significant pollution source in cities and has caused various health and environmental concerns worldwide. Therefore, an improved understanding of traffic impacts on particle concentrations and their components could help mitigate air pollution. In this study, the characteristics and sources of trace elements in PM2.5 (fine), and PM10-2.5 (coarse), were investigated in dense traffic areas in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada, from 2015–2017. At nearby urban background sites, 24-h integrated PM samples were also concurrently collected. The PM2.5 and PM10-2.5 masses, and a number of elements (i.e., Fe, Ba, Cu, Sb, Zn, Cr), showed clear increases at each near-road site, related to the traffic emissions resulting from resuspension and/or abrasion sources. The trace elements showed a clear partitioning trend between PM2.5 and PM10-2.5, thus reflecting the origin of some of these elements. The application of positive matrix factorization (PMF) to the combined fine and coarse metal data (86 total), with 24 observations at each site, was used to determine the contribution of different sources to the total metal concentrations in fine and coarse PM. Four major sources were identified by the PMF model, including two traffic non-exhaust (crustal/road dust, brake/tire wear) sources, along with regional and local industrial sources. Source apportionment indicated that the resuspended crustal/road dust factor was the dominant contributor to the total coarse-bound trace element (i.e., Fe, Ti, Ba, Cu, Zn, Sb, Cr) concentrations produced by vehicular exhaust and non-exhaust traffic-related processes that have been deposited onto the surface. The second non-exhaust factor related to brake/tire wear abrasion accounted for a considerable portion of the fine and coarse elemental (i.e., Ba, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sb) mass at both near-road sites. Regional and local industry contributed mostly to the fine elemental (i.e., S, As, Se, Cd, Pb) concentrations. Overall, the results show that non-exhaust traffic-related processes were major contributors to the various redox-active metal species (i.e., Fe, Cu) in both PM fractions. In addition, a substantial proportion of these metals in PM2.5 was water-soluble, which is an important contributor to the formation of reactive oxygen species and, thus, may lead to oxidative damage to cells in the human body. It appears that controlling traffic non-exhaust-related metals emissions, in the absence of significant point sources in the area, could have a pronounced effect on the redox activity of PM, with broad implications for the protection of public health.

scholarly journals Determination of water-soluble elements in PM2.5, PM10, and PM2.5-10 collected in the surroundings of power plants

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 01042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elwira Zajusz-Zubek ◽  
Anna Mainka ◽  
Konrad Kaczmarek
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Road Dust ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Pm10 And Pm2.5 ◽  
Dust Sources ◽  
Pm2.5 And Pm10 ◽  
Combustion Processes

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).

scholarly journals Development of a versatile source apportionment analysis based on positive matrix factorization: a case study of the seasonal variation of organic aerosol sources in Estonia

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Athanasia Vlachou ◽  
Anna Tobler ◽  
Houssni Lamkaddam ◽  
Francesco Canonaco ◽  
Kaspar R. Daellenbach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Road Dust ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Bulk Water ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Positive Matrix ◽  
Bootstrap Analysis ◽  
Yearly Cycle ◽  
Pmf Model ◽  
Aerosol Mass

Abstract. Bootstrap analysis is commonly used to capture the uncertainties of a bilinear receptor model such as the positive matrix factorisation (PMF) model. This approach can estimate the factor related uncertainties and partially assess the rotational ambiguity of the model. The selection of the environmentally plausible solutions though can be challenging and a systematic approach to identify and sort the factors is needed. For this, comparison of the factors between each bootstrap run and the initial PMF output, as well as with externally determined markers, is crucial. As a result, certain solutions that exhibit sub-optimal factor separation should be discarded. The retained solutions would then be used to test the robustness of the PMF output. Meanwhile, analysis of filter sample with the Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer and the application of PMF and bootstrap analysis on the bulk water soluble organic aerosol mass spectra has provided insight into the source identification and their uncertainties. Here, we investigated a full yearly cycle of the sources of organic aerosol (OA) at three sites in Estonia, Tallinn (urban), Tartu (suburban) and Kohtla–Järve (KJ, industrial). We identified six OA sources and an inorganic dust factor. The primary OA types included biomass burning, dominant in winter in Tartu accounting for 73 % ± 21 % of the total OA, primary biological OA which was abundant in Tartu and Tallinn in spring (21 % ± 8 % and 11 % ± 5 %, respectively) and two other primary OA types lower in mass. A sulphur containing OA was related to road dust and tire abrasion which exhibited a rather stable yearly cycle and an oil OA was connected to the oil shale industries in KJ prevailing at this site comprising 36 % ± 14 % of the total OA in spring. The secondary OA sources were separated based on their seasonal behaviour: a winter oxygenated OA dominated in winter (36 % ± 14 % for KJ, 25 % ± 9 % for Tallinn and 13 % ± 5 % for Tartu) and was correlated with benzoic and phthalic acid implying an anthropogenic origin. A summer oxygenated OA was the main source of OA in summer at all sites (26 % ± 5 % in KJ, 41 % ± 7 % in Tallinn and 35 % ± 7 % in Tartu) and exhibited high correlations with oxidation products of α-pinene like pinic acid and 3-methyl-1, 2, 3-butanetricarboxylic acid (MBTCA) suggesting a biogenic origin.

scholarly journals Chemical characterization of fine particular matter in Changzhou, China and source apportionment with offline aerosol mass spectrometry

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaolian Ye ◽  
Jiashu Liu ◽  
Aijun Gu ◽  
Feifei Feng ◽  
Yuhai Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Source Apportionment ◽  
Major Ions ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Chemical Characterization ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Traffic Emissions ◽  
Aerosol Mass

Abstract. Knowledge on aerosol chemistry in densely populated regions is critical for reduction of air pollution, while such studies haven't been conducted in Changzhou, an important manufacturing base and polluted city in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), China. This work, for the first time, performed a thorough chemical characterization on the fine particular matter (PM2.5) samples, collected during July 2015 to April 2016 across four seasons in Changzhou city. A suite of analytical techniques were employed to characterize organic carbon / elemental carbon (OC / EC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), water-soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs), trace elements, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in PM2.5; in particular, an Aerodyne soot particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SP-AMS) was deployed to probe the chemical properties of water-soluble organic aerosols (WSOA). The average PM2.5 concentrations were found to be 108.3 μg m−3, and all identified species were able to reconstruct ~ 80 % of the PM2.5 mass. The WSIIs occupied about half of the PM2.5 mass (~ 52.1 %), with SO42−, NO3− and NH4+ as the major ions. On average, nitrate concentrations dominated over sulfate (mass ratio of 1.21), indicating influences from traffic emissions. OC and EC correlated well with each other and the highest OC / EC ratio (5.16) occurred in winter, suggesting complex OC sources likely including both secondarily formed and primarily emitted OA. Concentrations of eight trace elements (Mn, Zn, Al, B, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb) can contribute up to 6.0 % of PM2.5 during winter. PAHs concentrations were also high in winter (140.25 ng m−3), which were predominated by median/high molecular weight PAHs with 5- and 6-rings. The organic matter including both water-soluble and water-insoluble species occupied ~ 20 % PM2.5 mass. SP-AMS determined that the WSOA had an average atomic oxygen-to-carbon (O / C), hydrogen-to-carbon (H / C), nitrogen-to-carbon (N / C) and organic matter-to-organic carbon (OM / OC) ratios of 0.36, 1.54, 0.11, and 1.74, respectively. Source apportionment of WSOA further identified two secondary OA (SOA) factors (a less oxidized and a more oxidized OA) and two primary OA (POA) factors (a nitrogen enriched hydrocarbon-like traffic OA and a cooking-related OA). On average, the POA contribution overweighed SOA (55 % vs. 45 %), indicating the important role of local anthropogenic emissions to the aerosol pollution in Changzhou. Our measurement also shows the abundance of organic nitrogen species in WSOA, and the source analyses suggest these species likely associated with traffic emissions, which warrants more investigations on PM samples from other locations.

scholarly journals Contents, distribution, and fractionation of soil organic carbon and trace elements in soils under a green manure application

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 50-58
Author(s):  
Yana Timofeeva ◽  
Lyudmila Purtova ◽  
Alexey Emelyanov ◽  
Maxim Burdukovskii ◽  
Irina Kiseleva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Green Manure ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Household Waste ◽  
Nickel Ions ◽  
Low Degree ◽  
Soluble Components

We quantified the soluble fractions of the soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations and the total and water-soluble trace elements in soils contaminated by household waste and remediated via the addition of green manure over 13 years and identified the main factors controlling the vertical distribution and accumulation of the trace elements. Green manure favoured the active formation of soil organic matter. The SOC of the examined soils was characterised by the active stabilisation by mineral soil compounds, but by a low degree of humification. The soils showed increased concentrations of Cr and Ni ions. The SOC and different soil compounds enriched by Si, Ca, and Mn ions were the important determinant for the distribution of Sr, V and Cu ions, as well as for the distribution of Pb and Cr ions bound to the water-soluble components of the soils. The low degree of SOC humification may be one of the main reasons of the high concentrations of Cu and Pb ions in the composition of the water-soluble soil compounds. The nickel ions were mainly associated with compounds enriched by the Al and Fe ions. The extremely high percentage concentration of the Ni ions in the water-soluble components of the soils may be result of the absence of the Ni ions adsorption by humic substances.

scholarly journals A Very Rare Cause of Dilated Cardiomyopathy after Bariatric Surgery: Selenium Deficiency

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Gulay Kocak ◽  
Munevver Gul Avsar ◽  
Cansu Yazar ◽  
Aylia Yesilova ◽  
Gulcagri Yildiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bariatric Surgery ◽  
Trace Elements ◽  
Sleeve Gastrectomy ◽  
Dilated Cardiomyopathy ◽  
Selenium Deficiency ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Nutritional Deficiencies ◽  
Reduced Ejection Fraction ◽  
Long Term Follow Up

Background: Sleeve gastrectomy for weight loss has increased significantly nowadays. Various complications may develop after this surgery that requires long-term follow-up of these patients. Nutrition is the most important aspect of the follow-up. The deficiency of trace elements, fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins following bariatric surgeries have been well-described complications. Although nutritional supplementations are often initiated after bariatric surgery, the clinical outcomes related to the deficiency of trace elements have not been well known yet. Case Presentation: A 27-year-old woman who underwent a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for surgical treatment of obesity 9 months ago presented to the emergency department with a signs of heart failure. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed dilated, poorly functioning left ventricle with reduced ejection fraction (28.9%) consistent with dilated cardiomyopathy. We assumed nutritional deficiencies secondary to sleeve gastrectomy as a cause of dilated cardiomyopathy, as the patient had inappropriate nutritional supplements after surgery. Laboratory tests revealed selenium and zinc deficiency that supported our hypothesis. Our patient completely recovered with adequate supplementation of selenium, zinc and thiamine. Conclusion: We highlighted that the early diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy due to selenium deficiency following bariatric surgery is of great importance since selenium deficiency is a cause of reversible cardiomyopathy.

Investigation of atmospheric aerosols over semi-urban and urban areas in Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plain: seasonal variability and source apportionment using PMF

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanishtha Dubey ◽  
Shubha Verma
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Atmospheric Aerosols ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Relative Concentration ◽  
Road Dust ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Carbonaceous Aerosols ◽  
Gangetic Plain ◽  
Brick Kilns

<p>The study investigates the chemical composition and source of aerosol origin at a semi-urban (Kharagpur–Kgp) and urban (Kolkata–Kol) region during the period February 2015 to January 2016 and September 2010 to August 2011 respectively. Major water-soluble inorganic aerosols (WSII) were determined using Ion chromatography and carbonaceous aerosols (CA) using OC–EC analyser. A multivariate factor analysis Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) was used in resolving source of aerosols at the study locations. Seasonal analysis of WSII at Kgp and Kol indicated relative dominance of calcium at both the places followed by sodium, chloride, and magnesium ions. Non-sea salt potassium (nss–K<sup>+</sup>), a biomass burning tracer was found higher at Kol than at Kgp. Sum of secondary aerosols sulphate (SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup>), nitrate (NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>) and ammonium (NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>) was higher at Kol than Kgp with relative concentration of SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup> being higher than NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> at Kgp which was vice-versa at Kol. Examination of carbonaceous aerosols showed three times higher concentration of organic carbon (OC) than elemental carbon (EC) with monthly mean of OC/EC ratio > 2, indicating likely formation of secondary organic carbon formation. Seasonal influence of biomass burning inferred from nss–K<sup>+</sup> (OC/EC) ratio relationship indicated dissimilarity in seasonality of biomass burning at Kgp (Kol). PMF resolved sources for Kgp constituted of secondary aerosol emissions, biomass burning, fugitive dust, marine aerosols, crustal dust and emissions from brick kilns while for Kol factors constituted of burning of waste, resuspended paved road dust, coal combustion, sea spray aerosols, vehicular emissions and biomass burning.</p>

scholarly journals Trace Elements in Soils of a Typical Industrial District in Ningxia, Northwest China: Pollution, Source, and Risk Evaluation

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Songlin Zhang ◽  
Yuan Liu ◽  
Yujing Yang ◽  
Xilu Ni ◽  
Muhammad Arif ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Pollution Source ◽  
National Standard ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The North ◽  
Anthropogenic Inputs

Intense industrial activities could result in massive accumulations of trace elements in the soil and risk the terrestrial ecosystems and human health. A total of 119 topsoil samples from a typical industrial area, Huinong District, Ningxia, Northwest China, were collected, and the contents of six trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn) were determined. The results indicated that the mean concentrations of Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn were lower than the national standard values of class II, while As and Cd were 2.77 and 3.92 times the corresponding threshold values. Multivariate analyses revealed six metals can be categorized into three principal components (PC). PC1 was As, Cd, and Pb, which originated from anthropogenic inputs. PC2 consisted of Cr and Cu, which originated from the natural geological background. PC3 only included Zn and was mainly due to agricultural impacts. The spatial distribution of six metals greatly varied from local anthropic inputs. For As and Cd, the most heavily polluted area was located in the north and southwest parts of the study area, whereas most Zn was enriched in the southern part, which was mainly agricultural land. The topsoil in this area displayed a moderate environmental risk with the metal pollution order of Cd > As > Zn ≈ Cr ≈ Pb ≈ Cu. Moreover, the contents of trace elements in the industrial land and water were relatively higher than those in other land-use types, indicating a considerable risk of metal migration and accumulation to rivers and the groundwater. It is suggested that effective remediation measures for Cd and As, in particular, should be properly employed for the sustainable development of the soil and groundwater, while reducing the risk of elements to the local residents in Huinong District.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Tire Wear Contribution to PM2.5 in Urban Environments

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Panko ◽  
Kristen Hitchcock ◽  
Gary Fuller ◽  
David Green
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Road Dust ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Exhaust Emission ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Vehicle Traffic ◽  
Road Pavement ◽  
Tire Wear

Vehicle-related particulate matter (PM) emissions may arise from both exhaust and non-exhaust mechanisms, such as brake wear, tire wear, and road pavement abrasion, each of which may be emitted directly and indirectly through resuspension of settled road dust. Several researchers have indicated that the proportion of PM2.5 attributable to vehicle traffic will increasingly come from non-exhaust sources. Currently, very little empirical data is available to characterize tire and road wear particles (TRWP) in the PM2.5 fraction. As such, this study was undertaken to quantify TRWP in PM2.5 at roadside locations in urban centers including London, Tokyo and Los Angeles, where vehicle traffic is an important contributor to ambient air PM. The samples were analyzed using validated chemical markers for tire tread polymer based on a pyrolysis technique. Results indicated that TRWP concentrations in the PM2.5 fraction were low, with averages ranging from < 0.004 to 0.10 µg/m3, representing an average contribution to total PM2.5 of 0.27%. The TRWP levels in PM2.5 were significantly different between the three cities, with significant differences between London and Los Angeles and Tokyo and Los Angeles. There was no significant correlation between TRWP in PM2.5 and traffic count. This study provides an initial dataset to understand potential human exposure to airborne TRWP and the potential contribution of this non-exhaust emission source to total PM2.5.

scholarly journals Characterization and comparison of PM<sub>2.5</sub> oxidative potential assessed by two acellular assays

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 5197-5210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Gao ◽  
Krystal J. Godri Pollitt ◽  
James A. Mulholland ◽  
Armistead G. Russell ◽  
Rodney J. Weber
Keyword(s):  
Metal Ions ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Metal Species ◽  
Urban Site ◽  
Chemical Components ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Oxidative Potential ◽  
Metal Interactions ◽  
Metal Metal

Abstract. The capability of ambient particles to generate in vivo reactive oxygen species (ROS), called oxidative potential (OP), is a potential metric for evaluating the health effects of particulate matter (PM) and is supported by several recent epidemiological investigations. Studies using various types of OP assays differ in their sensitivities to varying PM chemical components. In this study, we systematically compared two health-relevant acellular OP assays that track the depletion of antioxidants or reductant surrogates: (i) the synthetic respiratory-tract lining fluid (RTLF) assay that tracks the depletion of ascorbic acid (AA) and glutathione (GSH) and (ii) the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay that tracks the depletion of DTT. Yearlong daily samples were collected at an urban site in Atlanta, GA (Jefferson Street), during 2017, and both DTT and RTLF assays were performed to measure the OP of water-soluble PM2.5 components. PM2.5 mass and major chemical components, including metals, ions, and organic and elemental carbon were also analyzed. Correlation analysis found that OP as measured by the DTT and AA depletion (OPDTT and OPAA, respectively) were correlated with both organics and some water-soluble metal species, whereas that from the GSH depletion (OPGSH) was exclusively sensitive to water-soluble Cu. These OP assays were moderately correlated with each other due to the common contribution from metal ions. OPDTT and OPAA were moderately correlated with PM2.5 mass with Pearson's r=0.55 and 0.56, respectively, whereas OPGSH exhibited a lower correlation (r=0.24). There was little seasonal variation in the OP levels for all assays due to the weak seasonality of OP-associated species. Multivariate linear regression models were developed to predict OP measures from the particle composition data. Variability in OPDTT and OPAA were not only attributed to the concentrations of metal ions (mainly Fe and Cu) and organic compounds but also to antagonistic metal–organic and metal–metal interactions. OPGSH was sensitive to the change in water-soluble Cu and brown carbon (BrC), a proxy for ambient humic-like substances.

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