Study of SO2 and NO2 behaviour during the ozone-hole event at Antarctica by Brewer Spectrophotometer

Vertical column density of sulphur dioxide has been measured at Maitri (70.7°S, 11.7°E), the Indian station in the Antarctica from September, 1999 to December, 2006 by a Brewer Spectrophotometer. Simultaneously, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and the maximum value of UV-B have also been measured, we found an increase in SO2 during spring. An increase in NO2 column was also found during this period but not identical with that of SO2. These variations in SO2 and NO2 are not in phase with the increase in UV-B flux at the ground due to the decrease of ozone column in the stratosphere. The variation of SO2 column is explained by the downward shift of penetration depth of UV-B radiation during the ozone-hole event.

A Review on Impact of Anthropogenic Sulphur Dioxide Pollution on Health and Environment

The explosive global change in the emissions of Sulphur dioxide (SO2) over the decades have brought about tremendous effects in the regional as well as global scale in the composition and quality of air that we breathe. The global SO2 emission peaked in the 1970s, decreased until 2000 and has risen to peak again mainly as the result of increased globalization in developing countries. The global estimation is surprisingly low but the regional output of SO2 is high. The main hotspots being in East Asia Countries. The Sulphur aerosols not only impacts the animals’ health, but those of the ecosystems at large. SO2 contributes to global warming, ozone depletion, acid rain, smog etc. that has brought disastrous environmental conditions. WHO recommends a maximum exposure of not more than 0.5 ppm for around 24 hours’ span. SO2 reacts with other gases to form sulphate particles, constituent of particulate matters i.e. PM 2.5 concentrations, the exposure to which causes skin, respiratory, reproductive failures and cardiovascular ailments. This study, as such, is meant to bring into light the sources of SO2 and its harmful effects on health and environment at large. Air pollution is a major issue with adverse effects prevailing over the globe at present.

Relationship Between Exposure to Sulphur Dioxide Air Pollution, White Cell Inflammatory Biomarkers and Enzymatic Infarct Size in Patients With ST-segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndromes

Aims: To analyse the relationship among air pollutants, markers of inflammation and infarct size in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: This was a prospective analysis of consecutive patients admitted to hospital because of ACS. Cardiac biomarkers were drawn. The daily mean values of the air pollutants from the day before until 7 days before admission were analysed. The study population was stratified according to infarct size, based on median peak troponin value. Results: Patients were divided into two groups of 108 subjects each, according to median peak troponin value. Patients with extensive MIs had a higher neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio and leukocyte and neutrophil counts than patients with smaller MIs. In addition, they were exposed to higher concentrations of sulphur dioxide (9.7 ± 4.1 versus 8.4 ± 3.1 μg/m3; p=0.009) and lower concentrations of ozone (33.8 ± 13.7 versus 38.6 ± 14.5 μg/m3; p=0.014). Multivariate analysis showed that sulphur dioxide levels (OR 1.12; 95% CI [1.031–1.21]; p=0.007) and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (OR 1.08; 95% CI [1.011–1.17]; p=0.024) were independent predictors of infarct size. Conclusion: Patients with extensive MIs had higher white cell inflammatory levels and had been exposed to higher sulphur dioxide concentrations in the ambient air.

Air Quality Assessment in the Central Mediterranean Sea (Tyrrhenian Sea): Anthropic Impact and Miscellaneous Natural Sources, including Volcanic Contribution, on the Budget of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

The results of air pollution assessment during a 2017 cruise of the research ship “Minerva Uno” in the Tyrrhenian Sea are reported. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Oxygenated Volatile Organic Compounds (OVOCs), and pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, ozone, and sulphur dioxide were monitored throughout the cruise. The shallow waters at ten sites of the investigated area were also analyzed. Organic compounds such as n-alkanes showed a bimodal distribution with a maximum at C5–C6 and C10–C11 at sites the most affected by anthropic impact, whereas remote sites showed a unimodal distribution with maximum at C10–C11. The most abundant atmospheric OVOC was acetone (3.66 μg/m3), accounting for 38%; formaldehyde (1.23 μg/m3) and acetaldehyde (0.99 μg/m3) made up about 22–29% of the total. The influence of some natural sources as volcanoes, in the southern part of the Tyrrhenian Sea near the Aeolian arc was studied. This source did not induce any noticeable effect on the total amount of hydrocarbons nor on the levels of trace gases such as CFCs, whereas the trends of sulphur dioxide seemed to confirm a possible contribution. The impact of underwater emissions was observed near the Panarea and Vulcano islands, where lower pHs, high levels of Fe and Mn, and diagnostic of vent activity, were measured.

From amino acid mixtures to peptides in liquid sulphur dioxide on early Earth

The formation of peptide bonds is one of the most important biochemical reaction steps. Without the development of structurally and catalytically active polymers, there would be no life on our planet. However, the formation of large, complex oligomer systems is prevented by the high thermodynamic barrier of peptide condensation in aqueous solution. Liquid sulphur dioxide proves to be a superior alternative for copper-catalyzed peptide condensations. Compared to water, amino acids are activated in sulphur dioxide, leading to the incorporation of all 20 proteinogenic amino acids into proteins. Strikingly, even extremely low initial reactant concentrations of only 50 mM are sufficient for extensive peptide formation, yielding up to 2.9% of dialanine in 7 days. The reactions carried out at room temperature and the successful use of the Hadean mineral covellite (CuS) as a catalyst, suggest a volcanic environment for the formation of the peptide world on early Earth.

Synthetic Zeolites Modified with Salts of Transition Metals in the Reaction of Chemisorption-catalytic Oxidation of Sulphur Dioxide by Air Oxygen

The effect of the nature and concentration of d-metal salts attached to synthetic zeolites NaA and KA on the kinetic and stoichiometric parameters of the chemisorption-catalytic oxidation of sulphur dioxide with air oxygen at ambient temperature was studied. It was found that the adsorption capacity of NaA zeolite relative to SO2 is 100 times higher than that of KA zeolite; the time of protective action of NaA and KA zeolites increases upon modification with transition metal salts and with an increase of their content in the compositions. It was shown that the formation of inner and outer sphere complexes and the relationship between them is determined by the nature and concentration of metal ions and by the nature of the carrier. It was proven that the chemisorption-catalytic process ends with the oxidation of SO2 to H2SO4.

Intracluster Sulphur Dioxide Oxidation by Sodium Chlorite Anions: A Mass Spectrometric Study

The reactivity of [NaL·ClO2]− cluster anions (L = ClOx−; x = 0–3) with sulphur dioxide has been investigated in the gas phase by ion–molecule reaction experiments (IMR) performed in an in-house modified Ion Trap mass spectrometer (IT-MS). The kinetic analysis revealed that SO2 is efficiently oxidised by oxygen-atom (OAT), oxygen-ion (OIT) and double oxygen transfer (DOT) reactions. The main difference from the previously investigated free reactive ClO2− is the occurrence of intracluster OIT and DOT processes, which are mediated by the different ligands of the chlorite anion. This gas-phase study highlights the importance of studying the intrinsic properties of simple reacting species, with the aim of elucidating the elementary steps of complex processes occurring in solution, such as the oxidation of sulphur dioxide.