Abstract
Air quality monitoring in many urban areas is based on sophisticated and costly equipment to check for the respect of environmental quality standards, but capillary monitoring is often not feasible due to economic constraints. In such cases, the use of living organisms may be very useful to complement the sparse data obtained by physico-chemical measurements. In this study, the bioaccumulation of selected trace elements (Al, As, Cd, Ce, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, S, Sb, Zn) in lichen samples (Evernia prunastri) transplanted for three months at an urban area of Central Italy was investigated to assess the main environmental contaminants, their sources, and the fluxes of element depositions. The results pinpointed Cu and Sb as the main contaminants and suggested a common origin for these two elements from non-exhaust sources of vehicular traffic, such as brake abrasion. Most study sites were, however, found to be subjected to low or moderate environmental contamination, and the lowest contamination corresponded to the main green areas, confirming the important protective role of urban forests against air pollution. Ranges of estimated mean annual element deposition rates in the study area were similar or lower than those reported for other urban areas.
Highlights
More than 80% of the EU population lives in urban areas, and as a consequence urban air pollution affects the quality of life of most citizens [1]
Ranges of estimated mean annual element deposition rates in the study area were similar or lower than those reported for other urban areas
We investigated the bioaccumulation of selected trace elements in lichen samples transplanted for three months in an urban area of Central Italy and delineated, by integrating recently proposed interpretative methods [6,10], the main environmental contaminants, their sources, and fluxes of element depositions in lichens converted as estimates of their average annual deposition rates
Summary
More than 80% of the EU population lives in urban areas, and as a consequence urban air pollution affects the quality of life of most citizens [1]. Notwithstanding some improvement to complement the sparse data obtained by physico-chemical measurements, essentially induced by the implementation of EU legislation on emissions of air pollutants, key EU air quality standards for the protection of human health, especially the concentration of particulate matter (PM), are currently not being met in more than. Particulate matter is peculiar, being defined on the basis of its size and not on its chemical composition. It may include a wide array of elemental and organic carbon compounds; oxides of silicon, aluminum and iron; trace metals; sulphates; nitrates; and ammonia. High levels of PM are mainly caused by emissions from road traffic, which will require further action for improvement
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