Abstract
The present study was aimed at determining airborne concentrations of PAHs, Nitro-/Oxy-PAHs and elements in industrial and urban areas of Taranto, a site of environmental risk in Southern Italy, after the issue of strategic measures for air pollution mitigation and control by the Italian Environment Ministry in 2012. A PM2.5 sampling campaign was carried out from 9 to 28 December 2014 at eight receptor sites, two placed in the urban settlement and five included in the high spatial resolution fence monitoring network of the biggest European steel plant. The integration of collected data with meteorological parameters and source apportionment analysis by Positive Matrix Factorization and bivariate polar plots allowed to discriminate among emission sources and estimate their contributions. Evidence on the effect of distinct processes (homogenization, sintering) occurring inside the steel plant on airborne concentrations of PAHs and selected elements was provided. The impact of emissions from the steel plant “core” on the surrounding area was observed at receptor sites downwind to it. Moreover, the extent of the effectiveness of mitigation measures, partially applied at the moment of study’s beginning, was demonstrated by mean and peak pollutant concentrations at all receptor sites up to one order of magnitude lower than those documented prior to 2012.
Highlights
Numerous epidemiologic studies extensively highlighted the negative impact on human health due to airborne Particulate Matter (PM) exposure
They may be described as follows: one factor characterized by high percentage of all the investigated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and likely to be related to coke ovens; one factor characterized by high percentages of specific elements such as
The contribution from the mineral park due to particle resuspension is taken into account; one factor characterized by the elements Ti, Cd and As and by PAHs and attributable to the traffic source; and one factor characterized by high percentages of Zn and Pb and related to the sintering process in addition to the combustion in the blast furnaces
Summary
Numerous epidemiologic studies extensively highlighted the negative impact on human health due to airborne Particulate Matter (PM) exposure. The chemical composition (e.g., organic and inorganic pollutants), along with morphological characteristics of airborne particles are the relevant factors associated with an increased incidence of adverse effects on human health such as pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases [1]. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous organic compounds listed as environmental priority pollutants by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) due to their proven or potential carcinogenic and/or mutagenic properties [2]. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 4843; doi:10.3390/ijerph17134843 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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