Suchergebnisse

This study is the first to investigate the mineral composition of the atmospheric particulate matter deposited at Rio Tinto, Spain, an historical mining district of world-class importance, with emphasis on metal-bearing particles and their environmental implications. The dustfall is composed of quartz, feldspars, phyllosilicates (mica, chlorite and/or kaolinite) and a variety of accessory heavy minerals, the most common being primary sulfides (pyrite, chalcopyrite with minor galena, sphalerite and bornite) and their oxidation products (notably goethite, hematite and jarosite). This mineral assemblage suggests a local source of wind-blown dust and it is consistent with the large deposition levels of sulfide-related elements (As, Bi, Cd, Cu, Pb, Sb and Zn) registered at the sampling site adjacent to the mine waste dumps. However, the generation of potentially harmful dust particles is not restricted to mine wastes. Anthropogenic metallic compounds arising from a nearby hazardous waste disposal centre can make a relevant additional contribution to the metal deposition, particularly for Fe, Ni, Cr and Mn. Atmospheric fallout is a major mechanism for metal input to soils and plants around or near the mining area. ; This study was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Projects CRACCIE-CSD2007-0067 and CGL2008-06270-C02-02/CLI) and the Department of the Environment, and the Department of Innovation, Science and Enterprise (Projects RNM2007-02729 and RNM2009-5163M) of the Andalusia Autonomous Government. Karen Hudson-Edwards and an anonymous reviewer are thanked for their constructive comments and suggestions.

The emission of trace metal pollutants by industry and transport takes place on a scale large enough to alter atmospheric chemistry and results in measurable differences between the urban background of inhalable particulate matter (PM) in different towns. This is particularly well demonstrated by the technogenic release into the atmosphere of V, Ni, and lanthanoid elements. We compare PM concentrations of these metals in large datasets from five industrial towns in Spain variously influenced by emissions from refinery, power station, shipping, stainless steel, ceramic tiles and brick-making. Increased La/Ce values in urban background inhalable PM, due to La-contamination from refineries and their residual products (fuel oils and petcoke), contrast with Ce-rich emissions from the ceramic related industry, and clearly demonstrate the value of this ratio as a sensitive and reliable tracer for many point source emissions. Similarly, anomalously high V/Ni values (>4) can detect the influence of nearby high-V petcoke and fuel oil combustion, although the use of this ratio in urban background PM is limited by overlapping values in natural and anthropogenic materials. Geochemical characterisation of urban background PM is a valuable compliment to the physical monitoring of aerosols widely employed in urban areas, especially given the relevance of trace metal inhalation to urban health issues. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. ; This study was supported by research projects from the D.G. de Calidad y Evaluación Ambiental from the Spanish Ministry of the Environment and the Plan Nacional de I+D from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science ( CGL2005-03428-C04-03/CLI , CGL2007-62505/CLI and GRACCIECSD2007-00067 , and research contracts supported by the Autonomous governments of Valencia and Andalucía . The authors also thank the Departments of Environment of the Autonomous Governments of Andalucía, Valencia, CIAI and Castilla La Mancha. ; Peer reviewed

A long-term series (2001–2008) of chemical analysis of atmospheric particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) collected in the city of Huelva (SW Spain) is considered in this study. The impact of emission plumes from one of the largest Cu-smelters in the world on air quality in the city of Huelva is evidenced by the high daily and hourly levels of As, other potentially toxic elements (e.g. Cu, Zn, Cd, Se, Bi, and Pb) in particulate matter, as well as the high levels of some gaseous pollutants (NO2 and SO2). Mean arsenic levels in the PM10 fraction were higher than the target value set by European Directive 2004/ 107/EC (6 ngAs m 3) for 1st January 2013. Hourly peak concentrations of As and other metals and elements (Zn, Cu, P and Se) analyzed by PIXE can reach maximum hourly levels as high as 326 ngAs m 3, 506 ngZn m 3, 345 ngCu m 3, 778 ngP m 3 and 12 ngSe m 3. The contribution of Cu-smelter emissions to ambient PM is quantified on an annual basis in 2.0–6.7 mg m 3 and 1.8–4.2 mg m 3 for PM10 and PM2.5, respectively. High resolution outputs of the HYSPLIT dispersion model show the geographical distribution of the As ambient levels into the emission plume, suggesting that the working regime of the Cu-smelter factory and the sea breeze circulation are the main factors controlling the impact of the Cu-smelter on the air quality of the city. The results of this work improve our understanding of the behaviour of industrial emission plumes and their impact on air quality of a city, where the population might be exposed to very high ambient concentrations of toxic metals during a few hours. ; This work was developed within the framework of project CGL2005-05693-C03-01 and was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and Project CS2007-0067 GRACCIE by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Also, we would like to thank the Autonomous Government of Andalusia for financing this work (Projects 2007-RNM 02729 and RNM-03125). We would like to thank the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) for providing the HYSPLIT transport and dispersion model. Thanks also go to the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Laboratory for Atmospheres, Greenbelt (MD, USA), the Atmospheric Modeling and Weather Forecasting Group from the University of Athens and NASA's SeaWIFS Project for the valuable information supplied by the TOMS and SKIRON aerosol maps and satellite images.