Characterization of atmospheric aerosol (PM10 and PM2.5) from a medium sized city in São Paulo state, Brazil

Air pollution causes deleterious effects on human health with aerosols being among the most polluting agents.The objective of this work is the characterization of the PM_(2.5) and PM_(10) aerosol mass in the atmosphere.The methods of analysis include WD-XRF and EDS.Data were correlated with meteorological information and air mass trajectories(model HYSPLIT)by multivariate analysis.A morphological structural analysis was also carried out to identify the probable sources of atmospheric aerosols in the city of Sao Jose do Rio Preto,Brazil.The mean mass concentration values obtained were 24.54 μg/m~3 for PM_(10),above the WHO annual standard value of 20 μg/m~3 and 10.88 μg/m~3 for PM_(2.5) whose WHO recommended limit is10 μg/m~3.WD-XRF analysis of the samples revealed Si and Al as major components of the coarse fraction.In the fine fraction,the major elements were Al and S.The SEM-FEG characterization allowed identifying the morphology of the particles in agglomerates,ellipsoids and filaments in the PM_(10),besides spherical in the PM_(2.5).The analysis by EDS corroborated WD-XRF results,identifying the crustal elements,aluminosilicates and elements of anthropogenic origin in the coarse fraction.For the fine fraction crustal elements were also identified;aluminosilicates,black carbon and spherical particles(C and O) originating from combustion processes were predominant.The use of multivariate analysis to correlate air mass trajectories with the results of the morpho-structural characterization of the particulate matter allowed confirmation of the complex composition of the particles resulting from the combination of both local and long-distance sources.     

Reactive uptake of NO2 on volcanic particles: A possible source of HONO in the atmosphere

The heterogeneous degradation of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) on five samples of natural Icelandic volcanic particles has been investigated. Laboratory experiments were carried out under simulated atmospheric conditions using a coated wall flow tube (CWFT). The CWFT reactor was coupled to a blue light nitrogen oxides analyzer (NO_x analyzer), and a long path absorption photometer (LOPAP) to monitor in real time the concentrations of NO₂, NO and HONO, respectively. Under dark and ambient relative humidity conditions, the steady state uptake coefficients of NO₂ varied significantly between the volcanic samples probably due to differences in magma composition and morphological variation related with the density of surface OH groups. The irradiation of the surface with simulated sunlight enhanced the uptake coefficients by a factor of three indicating that photo-induced processes on the surface of the dust occur. Furthermore, the product yields of NO and HONO were determined under both dark and simulated sunlight conditions. The relative humidity was found to influence the distribution of gaseous products, promoting the formation of gaseous HONO. A detailed reaction mechanism is proposed that supports our experimental observations. Regarding the atmospheric implications, our results suggest that the NO₂ degradation on volcanic particles and the corresponding formation of HONO is expected to be significant during volcanic dust storms or after a volcanic eruption.     

短期干旱胁迫对马尾松排放挥发性有机物的影响

为探究干旱环境对BVOCs排放的影响,应用动态封闭式采样系统和热脱附-气相色谱-飞行质谱仪,对短期干旱胁迫作用下马尾松的BVOCs排放进行了实验室测量,定量分析BVOCs排放速率和排放组成的变化.结果表明,干旱胁迫时异戊二烯的排放受到抑制,排放速率降低约50%;单萜烯和倍半萜烯的排放水平增强,排放速率分别为137.85和0.98μg/（m²·h）,是未受胁迫时的2.9和2.0倍.除反式-α-香柠檬烯外,干旱胁迫促进各单萜烯和倍半萜烯化合物的排放,是未受胁迫时的1.3~42.4倍,其中3-蒈烯排放的响应最敏感,α-葑烯、α-水芹烯和石竹烯的响应最弱.干旱胁迫时单萜烯和倍半萜烯的排放组成有所变化,但主导的化合物种类不变,单萜烯以α-蒎烯、香桧烯和β-蒎烯为主,占比分别为48%、17%和17%;倍半萜烯以石竹烯和长叶烯为主,占比分别为57%和34%.     

Mercury levels in human population from a mining district in Western Colombia

A biomonitoring study was carried out to examine the adverse impacts of total mercury in the blood(HgB), urine(Hg U) and human scalp hair(HgH) on the residents of a mining district in Colombia. Representative biological samples(scalp hair, urine and blood) were collected from volunteered participants(n = 63) to estimate the exposure levels of THg using a Direct mercury analyzer. The geometric mean of THg concentrations in the hair,urine and blood of males were 15.98 μg/g, 23.89 μg/L and 11.29 μg/L respectively, whereas the females presented values of 8.55 μg/g, 5.37 μg/L and 8.80 μg/L. Chronic urinary Hg(HgU)levels observed in male workers(32.53 μg/L) are attributed to their long termed exposures to inorganic and metallic mercury from gold panning activities. On an average, the levels of THg are increasing from blood(10.05 μg/L) to hair(12.27 μg/g) to urine(14.63 μg/L).Significant positive correlation was found between hair and blood urinary levels in both male and female individuals. Thus the present biomonitoring investigation to evaluate the Hg levels and associated health issues would positively form a framework for further developmental plans and policies in building an ecofriendly ecosystem.     

The influence of pH on cadmium toxicity to the green alga Stichococcus bacillaris and on the cadmium forms present in the culture medium

Cadmium toxicity to the green alga Stichococcus bacillaris was investigated in media of pH 3-9. A significant decrease of cadmium toxicity occurred in both the acidic and alkaline ranges of pH. In media of pH 3 and 9, cadmium did not affect the dry mass content substantially. Maximum toxicity of cadmium was noticed at pH 6-7. Voltametric investigations showed a significant effect of pH on electrochemically measured cadmium content in the culture media. Hydrolysis of the medium components and formation of cadmium complexes with OH(-) ions caused a considerable decrease in amounts of electrochemically measured cadmium in the alkaline range of pH.     

Reduction and avoidance of lubricant mist demands an integrated assessment approach

A case study to identify major factors for lubricant mist exposure covered 15 metal machining sites. The investigation included milling, turning, drilling and grinding applications. Systematic analysis considered all relevant data concerning the machine tool, the lubricant and the suction plant. The efficiency of the implemented maintenance program at the installed filter systems was checked by concentration measurements immediately before and after service. All performed measurements of lubricant aerosol and vapor loads upstream and downstream of the installed filter systems were carried out according to VDI 2066 and BIA 3110, respectively. The selection criteria for the sites to be investigated, the systematic nature of the data acquisition and the procedure of the analysis are demonstrated in detail by performing comparisons between selected applications using emulsions and those employing straight oil for lubrication. The results of the study identify recirculation of ventilated air as the major source of workplace exposure to airborne lubricant emissions. More than 60% of the demisters investigated emit air at total lubricant loads (aerosols and vapor) above the limit of 20 mg m-3 at any time of operation; which also means immediately after service. A common reason for exceeded aerosol loads in recirculated air is e.g. the fact that the type of filter system applied is often not suitable for the separation problem. Loads of lubricant vapor are usually higher at the processes which use water emulsions as lubricant. In a quarter of the cases the limits were exceeded solely due to high vapor loads even immediately after service. The exposure can be reduced by replacing the lubricant, installation of a vapor separation plant or avoiding air recirculation. Maintenance time of the demisting system and aerosol separation efficiency of state-of-the-art demisting systems can be expanded by implementation of enhanced preliminary filter stages. This study confirms that appropriate service measures lower both aerosol emissions and lubricant vapor concentrations due to the reduction of exposed oil-wetted surfaces. The performed measurements show no significant relationship between loads of airborne lubricants and the type of machining process. Therefore, investigations at a much more detailed level have to be performed. However, the individual assessment of any workplace due to the complex situation remains essential.     

Solid-phase microextraction to monitor the sonochemical degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with GC-MS has been used to monitor the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by ultrasound treatment. Immersion SPME sampling enabled the fast and solventless extraction of target contaminants at the low microg l(-1) concentration level. The developed protocol was found to be linear in the concentration range from 0.1 to 50 microg l(-1) for most target analytes, with the limits of detection ranging between 0.01 and 0.70 microg l(-1) and the relative standard deviations between 4.31 and 27%. The developed SPME protocol was used to follow concentration profiles of aqueous solutions containing 16 PAHs, which were subject to low frequency ultrasonic irradiation. At the conditions employed in this study (80 kHz of ultrasound frequency, 130 W l(-1) of applied electric power density, 30 microg l(-1) of initial concentration for each of the 16 PAHs), sonochemical treatment was found capable of destroying the lower molecular weight PAHs (naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene and pyrene) within 120-180 min of irradiation. The higher molecular weight PAHs were more recalcitrant to ultrasound treatment.     

用广义λ—分布拟合空气污染数据

广义λ-分布是一个四参数可变通的概率模型,包括多种单变量分布,这一模型可用于表示空气污染浓度的频率分布。本文采用土耳其安卡拉每日的烟和SO_2监测数据,来证明广义λ-分布具有良好的拟合性质。这里还讨论了与分位数估计和拟合优度有关的一些结果,并与经典对数正态分布进行了比较。     

Development of an ombrotrophic peat bog (low ash) reference material for the determination of elemental concentrations

Given the increasing interest in using peat bogs as archives of atmospheric metal deposition, the lack of validated sample preparation methods and suitable certified reference materials has hindered not only the quality assurance of the generated analytical data but also the interpretation and comparison of peat core metal profiles from different laboratories in the international community. Reference materials play an important role in the evaluation of the accuracy of analytical results and are essential parts of good laboratory practice. An ombrotrophic peat bog reference material has been developed by 14 laboratories from nine countries in an inter-laboratory comparison between February and October 2002. The material has been characterised for both acid-extractable and total concentrations of a range of elements, including Al, As, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Ti, V and Zn. The steps involved in the production of the reference material (i.e. collection and preparation, homogeneity and stability studies, and certification) are described in detail.     

High frequency monitoring of the coastal marine environment using the MAREL buoy

The MAREL Iroise data buoy provides physico-chemical measurements acquired in surface marine water in continuous and autonomous mode. The water is pumped 1.5 m from below the surface through a sampling pipe and flows through the measuring cell located in the floating structure. Technological innovations implemented inside the measuring cell atop the buoy allow a continuous cleaning of the sensor, while injection of chloride ions into the circuit prevents biological fouling. Specific sensors for temperature, salinity, oxygen and fluorescence investigated in this paper have been evaluated to guarantee measurement precision over a 3 month period. A bi-directional link under Internet TCP-IP protocols is used for data, alarms and remote-control transmissions with the land-based data centre. Herein, we present a 29 month record for 4 parameters measured using a MAREL buoy moored in a coastal environment (Iroise Sea, Brest, France). The accuracy of the data provided by the buoy is assessed by comparison with measurements of sea water weekly sampled at the same site as part of SOMLIT (Service d'Observation du Milieu LIToral), the French network for monitoring of the coastal environment. Some particular events (impact of intensive fresh water discharges, dynamics of a fast phytoplankton bloom) are also presented, demonstrating the worth of monitoring a highly variable environment with a high frequency continuous reliable system.