Appraisal of measurement methods, chemical composition and sources of fine atmospheric particles over six different areas of Northern Belgium

Daily and seasonal variation in the total elemental, organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) content and mass of PM_2.5 were studied at industrial, urban, suburban and agricultural/rural areas. Continuous (optical Dustscan, standard tapered element oscillating micro-balance (TEOM), TEOM with filter dynamics measurement system), semi-continuous (Partisol filter-sampling) and non-continuous (Dekati-impactor sampling and gravimetry) methods of PM_2.5 mass monitoring were critically evaluated. The average elemental fraction accounted for 2-6% of the PM_2.5 mass measured by gravimetry. Metals, like K, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb were strongly inter-correlated, also frequently with non-metallic elements (P, S, Cl and/or Br) and EC/OC. A high OC/EC ratio (2-9) was generally observed. The total carbon content of PM_2.5 ranged between 3 and 77% (averages: 12-32%), peaking near industrial/heavy trafficked sites. Principal component analysis identified heavy oil burning, ferrous/non-ferrous industry and vehicular emissions as the main sources of metal pollution.     

Trace metal levels in freshwater fish, sediment and water

The trace metal concentrations in water, sediment and aquatic organisms, such as fish, could indicate the level and tendency of the pollution. This is important not only for the protection of the environment, but for evaluation of the quality of fish meat either captured from natural waters or cultured in fishponds. The total trace metal concentrations in samples of fish from different regions of Hungary and from different species have been determined by using an X-ray fluorescence technique (EDXRF). Water, sediment and fish samples from fishpond systems with different feeding and stocking has also been analyzed. In the case of zinc contents, differences have been traced between the cultured and wild common carp. In the case of common carp reared under different feeding conditions, differences were also observed in the zinc concentration. The retention of the trace metals in the fish has been studied by measuring the levels in sediment, water and feed. The different retention can be explained by the different availability of zinc in the applied feeds, which can be related to the presence of different metal species in the feeds.     

Soil,water and plants contamination by total chrome and chrome VI

The chrome (Cr) is a metal utilized in various industrial sectors and its investigation in the environment is necessary, for the Cr (III) contain aessential micronutrients in the human nourishment and the Cr (VI), on the other hand, is toxic. In the present work soil contamination with Cr was realized in drainagelysimetersset in concentrations of 0, 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 mg kg⁻¹ of total Cr, with the intuition to determine the total Cr and Cr (VI) flux in leached water, in soil and in plants of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). In the lysimeters were cultivated four plants, in three cultivation circles. In the end of the cultivations was observed, that the total applied Cr leached in the soil, evidencing the Cr mobility in latossoil with simulant characteristics to the ones utilized in this paper. The Cr (VI) concentrations in the soil increased soon after the treatment applications, but tend to decrees in the time elapse, the same tendences were observed for the total Cr concentrations in the leached water. The Cr absorption by plants was related to the Cr disponibility in the soil, for the soil concentration and the plants decreased with time passing. The Cr mobility in the soil possibilitated the groundwater contamination presenting risks to the water quality and, consequently to public health.     

Behaviour and fluxes of trace and toxic elements in creek sediment near Mumbai,India

Studies on marine sediments are extremely important since they act as ultimate sink of anthropogenic pollutants. The present study was conducted near Mumbai city of India to understand andassess the behaviour and fluxes of trace and toxic elements increek sediment. Seven sediment core samples were collected andanalysed for trace and toxic elements such as Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, Rb and Sr in different sections of the core using EDXRF technique. The fluxes of the elements in each section of the core were calculated using the mass sedimentation rates derivedfrom ²¹⁰Pb dating technique and the sediment density at each location. The estimated depositional fluxes of Fe, Rb and Sr in Zone-1 and Zone-3 are in the ranges of 0.4–0.5% cm^-2yr^-1; 4–6 g cm^-2 yr^-1 and 10–20 g cm^-2 yr^-1 respectively, where as they were about 3–4 times higher in zone-2 for the same elements. The depositionalfluxes of elements Cu (40–60 g cm^-2 yr^-1), Zn (35–43 g cm^-2 yr^-1) and Pb (6–12 g cm^-2 yr^-1) were also found to be higher in zone-2 compared tozone-1 and zone-3 which can be attributed to the release from thenewly developed chemical zone of Thane-Belapur industrial belt.     

Elemental composition of total dry particulate matter deposited in the selected industrial areas within Lagos state

The total particulate matter (PM) deposited within 17 selected industrial areas in Lagos state during the dry season (December 2015 to January 2016) was studied. Deposition gauges measuring 0.2 meters (m) in diameter by 0.15 m in depth were placed at the sampling locations for a period of one month to collect the total deposited PM. The PM was then characterized using energy‐dispersive X‐ray florescence (EDXRF). The sources of the heavy metals were evaluated using enrichment factor (EF) analysis. Factor analysis (FA) was then used to determine the correlations between the identified heavy metals. Twenty‐three elements—sodium (Na), silicon (Si), phosphorous (P), sulfur (S), chlorine (Cl), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), germanium (Ge), arsenic (As), strontium (Sr), zirconium (Zr), lead (Pb), tungsten (W), polonium (Po), and actinium (Ac)—were characterized in the PM collected at the sampling sites. The iron elemental ratio ranged from 0.0003 to 3.8848. The EF ranged from 0.0015 to 1697.47, including at the control location. The FA, using principal component analysis techniques, revealed seven factor loadings with 90.03% cumulative, which suggests that the sources are anthropogenic, such as from industrial activities, vehicular emissions, and the combustion of fuel.