Car transport intensity impact on heavy metal distribution in urban environment

Abstract

Air pollution is one of the main environmental problems and the cause of various diseases around the world. Intensive traffic is one of the main sources of air pollution in an urban environment. In cold and temperate climate regions snow on roads and its surroundings can accumulate significant amounts of pollutants which can affect human health and the environment in both the short and long term. Various urban snow pollution studies were made in many parts of the world, but in Latvia, Jelgava city such an experience is something new. In this article, we studied the relationship between air pollution on different road sections depending on the snow sample sampling distance from the road. In the city of Jelgava near the roads with high traffic there were collected 54 snow samples, in 18 places on 3 road sections in 3 different distances from road 1 m, 50 m and 100 m. Snow samples were collected in January 2018, seven days after snowfall. We analyzed copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) concentrations in snow melting water samples. Mostly Cu concentrations at a distance of 1 m from the road were up to eight times higher than 50 or 100 m distance. The highest concentrations of Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn are 1 m away from the road. For snow samples at a distance of 50 m and 100 m from road differences are minimal. To better understand pollution spread near road, different intensity roads and streets of Jelgava should be covered. Sample plots should be located all over the city territory, excluding as much as possible other pollutants object impact on performed study.