Abstract
The moss biomonitoring technique was used in 2002, 2005, 2010 and 2015 in a potentially toxic elements study (PTEs) in Macedonia. For that purpose, more than 70 moss samples from two dominant species (Hypnum cupressiforme and Homalothecium lutescens) were collected during the summers of the mentioned years. Total digestion of the samples was done using a microwave digestion system, whilst mercury was analyzed by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (CV–AAS). The content of mercury ranged from 0.018 mg/kg to 0.26 mg/kg in 2002, from 0.010 mg/kg to 0.42 mg/kg in 2005, from 0.010 mg/kg to 0.60 mg/kg in 2010 and from 0.020 mg/kg to 0.25 mg/kg in 2015. Analysis of the median values shows the increase of the content in the period 2002–2010 and a slight reduction of the air pollution with Hg in the period 2010–2015. Mercury distribution maps show that sites with increased concentrations of mercury in moss are likely impacted by anthropogenic pollution. The results were compared to similar studies done during the same years in neighboring countries and in Norway—which is a pristine area and serves as a reference, and it was concluded that mercury air pollution in Macedonia is significant primarily in industrialized regions.
Highlights
Air pollutants are considered all chemical compounds or elements released into the atmosphere that pose health hazards to ecosystems and humans [1]
An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed which showed significant differences between the four sampling seasons (F = 5.43 / p = 0.0012), which means that moss biomonitoring every 5 years is appropriate
From the results of median values and the ranges of the content of Hg in Macedonia and those obtained in some neighbouring countries and Norway (Table 2), it can be seen that the median value obtained in 2002 (0.056 mg/kg) is slightly higher than the median value obtained from the survey in the same year in Norway [58]
Summary
Air pollutants are considered all chemical compounds or elements released into the atmosphere that pose health hazards to ecosystems and humans [1]. The majority of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) originate mainly from anthropogenic sources [2,3,4]. Natural sources of these elements include volcanoes, forest fires, biological decomposition processes and oceans [4]. The largest anthropogenic sources of PTEs in the atmosphere are the combustion of fossil and biofuels, traffic and emissions from industrial processes [5,6]. Due to the specific features and the effects on human health, the discharge of mercury in the environment has been identified as a global problem [7]. Anthropogenic sources of Hg are Atmosphere 2020, 11, 1379; doi:10.3390/atmos11121379 www.mdpi.com/journal/atmosphere
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