Main Pollution Sources Research Articles

Spatial distribution, source identification, and risk assessment of polychlorinated organic pollutants (PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs) in the sediments of the largest urban water supply area (Iznik lake) in the Marmara region, Bursa, Türkiye

Iznik lake is the biggest lake in the Marmara region, which is the most industrialized and populated area of Türkiye. The lake is one of Türkiye's most important water supply areas and is located nearby the Iznik district of Bursa, with a population of about 45,000. It is being used for irrigation and fishery production, but not for drinking water. In this paper, the distribution, pollution source, and risk assessment of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) in the surface sediments of Iznik lake and streams (both flowing to and flowing from the lake) were investigated. Six surface sediments collected from the lake and four surface sediments collected from the streams were analyzed in high-resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HR/GC–MS) system in accordance with EPA 1613 and EPA 1668 methods. The concentration ranges of the ∑PCDD/Fs is 21.4 pg/g d.w. (inside the lake (IZ-6)) – 54.5 pg/g d.w. (Gülayağı stream (IZ-8)) and ∑DL-PCBs is 13.5 pg/g d.w. (inside the lake (IZ-3)) – 46.3 pg/g d.w. (Olukdere (IZ-7)) respectively, with 2.68 pg TEQ/g d.w. on average. The results showed that the high chlorinated (Hepta – Octa CDD/Fs) dioxins/furans and pentachlorinated PCBs (PCB 118 and 105) are dominant in the sediments. A detailed assessment of PCDD/F congener profiles observed in the lake sediments speculated that the wastewater discharges to the lake could be the main pollution source, while other sources such as open burning activities, runoff of pesticide residues from agricultural areas and atmospheric deposition may have some contribution also. The health risk assessment performed for polluted sediment demonstrated that, in the worst case, dioxin-like (PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs) concentration was a total intake of 0.37 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day, no exceeds the tolerable daily intake amount, where fish consumption accounts for nearly all of the total intake.

How Motor Vehicles Affect Air Pollution in Erzurum Centre?

When pollutants in air are high in concentration and in duration air pollution occurs so as to give harm to human beings, animals and plants. The main reason of air pollution is human activities; especially motor vehicles are accepted as the main source of air pollution. The comfort that the technology provides the people makes the motor vehicles an indispensable part of our life, so the number of motor vehicles is increasing day by day. With the increase of vehicles in number, vehicle queues occur on the ways, especially on the signalized junctions. Because of the geographical position of Erzurum, the winters are cold and last long. Also because of the high altitude, in winters the average heat is low and besides that the percentage of O2 falls to 16,5. This causes incomplete combustion both in the stationary combustion processes and in the motor engines. As a result of this the amount of the pollutants like HC and CO is increasing. In this study, the effects of the geographical position and the meteorological peculiarities of Erzurum on the pollutants emitted by motor vehicles are examined. For this the exhaust gaseous emission measurements of 30370 motor vehicles made in various months are inspected statistically. The main result of these statistical analyses is that the pollutants like CO and HC are raising the maximum concentration in the older model vehicles. The main reason of this is the converter usage in the newer model vehicles.

Numerical investigation of shipping noise in the Red Sea

Underwater noise pollution is a significant environmental issue that can have detrimental effects on marine ecosystems. One of the main sources of underwater noise pollution is ship traffic, which has been shown to negatively impact marine animals by masking communication signals and altering their behaviors. This study represents the first comprehensive analysis of underwater ship noise in the Red Sea. It aims to generate noise maps of ships sailing through the main shipping lane in the Red Sea. The Range-dependentAcoustic Model (RAM), incorporating anthropogenic and environmental inputs, was utilized to predict maps of underwater ship noises. The application of RAM yielded maps showcasing the spatial and temporal distribution of underwater ship noise in the Red Sea, providing valuable insights for policy makers and facilitating targeted mitigation efforts, with implications for future research on the impacts of underwater noise pollution on marine life.

Investigation of the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Metabentonite and Slag-based Geopolymer Mortars

With population growth and industrialization, fly ash accumulates in ground blast furnace slag and other industrial waste landfills. Since these wastes are the main source of pollution, they are harmful to the environment, but in the production of geopolymer mortar or concrete, these solid wastes are recycled and added to the system. In this study, metabentonite (MB)-slag-based geopolymer mortars, which are formed by calcining bentonite clay with by-products such as blast furnace slag, were prepared. In this context, bentonite was transformed into metabentonite by calcining at 900 °C. In the study, geopolymer mortars based on metabentonite-ground granulated blast furnace slag (100 MB,75 MB+25 GGBFS, 50 MB+50 GGBFS, 25 MB+75 GGBFS) and containing recycling aggregate as fine aggregate was produced in five series and physical (unit weight, water absorption and void ratio) and mechanical tests (compressive and flexural strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity) were carried out on the 7th and 28th days. The conclusions showed that although the highest strength was obtained in the series containing 75 GGBFS+25 MB, remarkable physical and mechanical properties were obtained for the series containing 75 MB+ 25 GGBFS in both molar concentrations, and an environmentally friendly and economical geopolymer composite design could be formed.

Spatial distribution characteristics and source analysis of shallow groundwater pollution in typical areas of Yangtze River Delta

With the accelerated industrialisation and urbanisation in the Yangtze River Delta region, shallow groundwater has also suffered some pollution. In order to clarify the current state of pollution and its causes, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to classify the main factors. An absolute principal component-multiple linear regression model (APCS-MLR) was also used to determine the contribution of the main pollution sources to the shallow groundwater quality. The analysis results showed that the exceedance of water quality indicators such as iron, manganese, aluminium and COD in shallow groundwater in the study area was more serious. With the exception of Mg2+, the other indicators are highly variable and are more likely to be influenced by human factors. The main pollution factor affecting the quality of shallow groundwater is the dissolution filtration - migration enrichment factor, followed by agricultural and urban sewage factors, industrial pollution factors, and geological environmental background factors. And the main sources of pollution in shallow groundwater are mainly located in the western, northwestern and northern parts of the study area. The use of fertilizers and pesticides in urban life and urban runoff, industrial production and agricultural production are the main causes of pollution. The effects of leaching and transport enrichment, agricultural and urban runoff, and industrial pollution on groundwater quality are significant. The predicted concentrations calculated by the model are generally consistent with the measured concentrations, indicating the accuracy of the calculation of the contribution of each pollution source. This study is applicable to the analysis of shallow groundwater pollution sources in the study area, and also provides a scientific basis for the evaluation of regional groundwater resources and pollution prevention.

Remote sensing and model analysis of biomass burning smoke transported across the Atlantic during the 2020 Western US wildfire season

Biomass burning is the main source of air pollution in several regions worldwide nowadays. This predominance is expected to increase in the upcoming years as a result of the rising number of devastating wildfires due to climate change. Harmful pollutants contained in the smoke emitted by fires can alter downwind air quality both locally and remotely as a consequence of the recurrent transport of biomass burning plumes across thousands of kilometers. Here, we demonstrate how observations of carbon monoxide and aerosol optical depth retrieved from polar orbiting and geostationary meteorological satellites can be used to study the long-range transport and evolution of smoke plumes. This is illustrated through the megafire events that occurred during summer 2020 in the Western United States and the transport of the emitted smoke across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. Analyses from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, which combine satellite observations with an atmospheric model, are used for comparison across the region of study and along simulated air parcel trajectories. Lidar observation from spaceborne and ground-based instruments are used to verify consistency of passive observations. Results show the potential of joint satellite-model analysis to understand the emission, transport, and processing of smoke across the world.

Does Outsourcing Service Reduce the Excessive Use of Chemical Fertilizers in Rural China? The Moderating Effects of Farm Size and Plot Size

The excessive use of chemical fertilizers (OCF) is one of China’s main sources of agricultural nonpoint source pollution. It is debatable whether outsourcing service adoption (FOS) reduces OCF. This article argues that farm size and plot size can moderate the effectiveness of FOS in reducing OCF. Particularly, organizations earn more profits when they provide outsourcing services to large-sized farms and plots, thereby preventing their opportunistic behavior and reducing the OCF. Based on the survey data of wheat growers from six major grain-producing counties in Anhui Province, China, the Cobb–Douglas production function is used to measure the OCF, and ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation is used as a benchmark. In addition, propensity score matching (PSM) is used to eliminate the selection bias, and two-stage least squares estimation (IV-2sls) is used to eliminate endogeneity. The results indicate that approximately 90% of the sampled households used excessive fertilizers, signifying that the excessive use of chemical fertilizers in China’s agricultural production remains a serious problem. FOS reduces the OCF on large farms and plots. However, the effectiveness of FOS in reducing OCF disappeared when it was provided to small farms and plots. Extending FOS and organizing efficient land transfers should receive equal consideration from policymakers.

Occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern and pesticides and relative risk assessment in Tunisian groundwater

Groundwater is an important source for drinking water supply, agricultural irrigation and industrial uses in the Middle East and North Africa region. Due to the growing need for groundwater use, groundwater quality studies on the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and pesticides have gained attention. The Wadi El Bey is one of the most polluted areas in Tunisia. However, very limited data on CECs infiltration into aquifers has been described, in comparison to industrialized countries where groundwater contamination has been comprehensively addressed. To gain early insight into potential contamination, groundwater wells in northeast Tunisia, an area with high population density and intensive agricultural activity were sampled during two seasons and were analyzed with two high resolution mass spectrometry approaches: target and suspect screening. The latter was used for screening banned pesticides. A selection of 116 CECs of which 19 are transformation products (TPs) and 20 pesticides previously prioritized by suspect screening were screened in the groundwater samples. The results showed the presence of 69 CECs and 1 TP and 20 pesticides at concentrations per well, ranging between 43 and 7384 ng L−1 and 7.3 and 80 ng L−1, respectively. CECs concentrations in Tunisian groundwater do not differ from those in industrialized countries. WWTPs were considered the main source of pollution, where the main classes detected were analgesics, antihypertensives and artificial sweeteners and especially caffeine, salicylic acid and ibuprofen were found to be ubiquitous. Regarding pesticides, triazines herbicides and carbamates insecticides pose the highest concern due to their ubiquitous presence, high leachability potential for most of them and high toxicity. The environmental risk assessment (ERA) highlighted the high risk that caffeine, ibuprofen, and propoxur may pose to the environment, and consequently, to non-target organisms. This study provides occurrence and ERA analysis of CECs and pesticides in Tunisian groundwater.

Pollution Characteristics and Risk Evaluation of PAHs in Subsidence Water Bodies in Huainan Coal Mining Area, China

As a class of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have mutagenic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic effects, so they can pose a greater threat to the natural environment and human health. Most of the PAHs in coal mining areas originate from the mining and utilization process of coal resources, which has a variety of carriers in the environment: atmosphere, water bodies, soil, sediments, etc. To study their pollution status in the subsidence waters of the Huainan coal mining area, sixteen priority control PAHs of sixteen surface water samples from seven subsidence water bodies were tested using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and their pollution characteristics were analyzed. Overall, the concentration of PAHs ranged from 212 to 283 ng·L−1, and benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF) had the highest average concentration. In addition, the concentration of PAHs above four rings was relatively high. After statistical analysis, the Pearson correlation coefficient calculation showed a highly significant positive correlation between PAHs with the same number of rings. Three principal factors were selected using factor analysis, which could explain 88.37% of the total variance, to conduct the source identification. Coal combustion was found to be the main source of PAH pollution in the area. Then, ecological risk using the risk quotient (RQ) method was carried out. The results showed that PAH contamination was medium risk, among which, benzo[a]anthracene (BaA) and BbF had a high ecological risk. In addition, the results of biological toxicity evaluation using the species sensitivity distribution model (SSD) showed that benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) had a high proportion of potential effects on aquatic organisms. By using the response addition model, the evaluation results showed that the ecological risk of the subsidence water bodies in the Panyi mine was the highest. Finally, human health risks were evaluated from two pathways: dermal contact and ingestion. The carcinogenic health risks from the dermal contact exceeded the permissible limits, while the hazard entropy of non-carcinogenic risks from the above two pathways were less than 1.

Efficient Organic Pollutant Removal by Bio/MNs Collaborating with Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

Organic pollution is one of the main sources of environmental pollution, which poses a serious threat to the ecological environment and human health. In this study, we synthesized a composite material consisting of biochar-supported magnetite nanoparticles (Bio/MNs) and collaborated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 (P. aeruginosa PAO1) to conduct a bio-chemical composite remediation approach for organic pollution. The results of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) show that Bio/MNs composites have been prepared successfully. Under light conditions, the highest removal rate of organic pollution by Bio/MNs synergistic P. aeruginosa PAO1 reached 81.5%. Gradient experiments revealed a direct correlation between the removal rate of organic pollution and the dosage of P. aeruginosa PAO1, as well as the input of Bio/MNs, within a specific range. Moreover, due to the positively charged nature of organic pollution, its maximum removal rate reaches 98.6% at pH = 11, exhibiting a 1.76-fold increase compared to that at pH = 3. The experimental results show that the collaboration between Bio/MNs and P. aeruginosa PAO1 expedited the electron transfer rate and increased the generation of ·OH and O2−, consequently facilitating the efficient degradation of organic pollutants. These findings inspire Bio/MNs collaborative microorganisms for providing new methods for the green and sustainable removal of organic pollutants.

To the Issue of Solid Municipal Waste in the Irkutsk Region

The article presents data on solid municipal waste (SMW) in the Irkutsk region as the main source of pollution of urban and suburban ecosystems. SMW is currently the most massive and dangerous type of waste, which can lead to irreversible consequences. In Russia, very active attention is being paid to the issues of waste collection and recycling in recent years. The objectives, which the authors set themselves, are a detailed analysis of the situation of SMW in the Irkutsk region. Special attention is focused on the location of already existing facilities as well as planned until 2027 ones. Unfortunately, the population of the Irkutsk region is not yet ready for mass separation of garbage according to its origin and recyclability, but a number of measures are proposed to change the situation. Statistical, comparative-geographical, cartographical and the method of comparative analysis and synthesis were used. The paper presents an analysis of the work of regional operators in accordance with the federal project Integrated system of SMW management carried out for the first time. The amount of waste taken to landfills in the Irkutsk region should be reduced by half by 2030 while sorted waste should gain 100 per cent of all garbage thrown away. The study results in the following conclusions: the region is not ready for processing and recycling of certain categories of waste such as glass or galvanic elements. There are simply no recycling facilities for a number of wastes, which leads to uncontrolled emissions and disturbance of the environment (soil, water, and atmospheric air) but the Government of Russia and the Irkutsk Region authorities are actively reforming the system of SMW management.

A Review of Environmental Noise Pollution and Impacts on Human Health in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh

Noise pollution refers to excessive, unwanted, or disruptive sound in the environment. It can originate from various sources, such as road traffic, air traffic, railways, construction, using loudspeakers, industrial operations, and even household appliances. The purpose of the study was to review noise pollution and its effects on human health in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh. Most of the studies identified that the main source of noise pollution in the city is road traffic noise. The city is at a crossroads with prominent national as well as educational institutions like Rajshahi University, Rajshahi College, Varendra Museum, Bank of Padma River, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, BSCIC Industry, and numerous other educational institutions. All studies showed that noise pollution levels higher than the recommended acceptable limits were detected in various areas. Exposure to high levels of noise causes stress on human health, such as auditory, hearing, and nervous system damage, reducing productivity, insomnia, sexual impotency, respiratory, cardio-vascular, neurological, and outing damages, and limiting human life. It is recommended that affected sites develop a practical management approach for reducing noise pollution.

Microplastics contamination in commercial fish landed at Lengkong Fish Auction Point, Central Java, Indonesia

Plastic is one of the main pollutant sources that are difficult to decompose and then carried into the ocean and fragmented into smaller parts (microplastics) due to UV radiation and water currents. Their small size means that microplastics are often ingested by aquatic organisms, such as fish. This research aimed to determine the presence, abundance, and types of microplastics in the digestive tract of four dominant fishes landed at Lengkong Fish Auction Point, Cilacap, Central Java, i.e. threadfin ( Eleutheronema tetradactylum), mackerel ( Rastrelliger sp.), threadfin bream ( Nemipterus japonicus), and hairtail ( Trichiurus lepturus). We found microplastics in the digestive tract of four selected fishes with a frequency of occurrence of 100%. The concentration of microplastics in fish digestive tracts is relatively high, with a value range of 12 ±2.86 to 28.33 ±8.11 particles∙ind.-1. Microplastics were found in films, fibres, fragments, and granule shape types with various colours: brown, purple, blue, black, green, transparent, and yellow. The polymers found were polystyrene (PS), nylon, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyurethane (PU), polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The present study provides baseline data for microplastics contamination in commercial fish species landed at Lengkong Fish Auction Point, Cilacap, Central Java, Indonesia. The fact that we discovered PU, the most harmful polymer, piques our attention.

Spatial distribution, source apportionment, and assessment of marine water quality parameters in the Bohai Sea, China

A two–year (2020−2021) survey dataset of six water quality parameters (pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), soluble reactive phosphate (SRP), and petroleum pollutants) was used to investigate their spatial distribution in the Bohai Sea and quantify their potential sources. There were significant differences in spatial distribution of the parameters. High concentrations of COD, DIN and SRP were found in three bays, with terrestrial input being the main pollution source. Phosphorus–limiting conditions were present in the Bohai Sea. High petroleum pollutant concentrations were identified in port areas, offshore oilfields, and adjacent areas. The pH was above the global oceanic average and there were no signs of acidification. The contribution of the mixed terrestrial inputs, maritime transportation, and offshore oil exploitation sources, oceanic and associated biotic sources, and seawater–atmosphere exchange and atmospheric deposition sources to water quality were 63.4 %, 8.0 %, and 28.6 %, respectively.

Machine learning reveals the effects of drivers on PM2.5 and CO2 based on ensemble source apportionment method

Air pollution and climate change are currently common global concern issues. Understanding the main pollution sources of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon dioxide (CO2), and the drivers that accelerate their concentrations can provide novel insights into the co-benefits of air-quality improvement and climate change mitigation. Hence, in this study, we conducted source apportionment of PM2.5 and CO2, and obtained impacts of common sources on PM2.5-CO2 using an ensemble source apportionment method. Then, machine learning (ML) methods were utilized to study the effects of different drivers (including main pollution sources and meteorological factors) on PM2.5 and CO2. The results demonstrate that coal combustion (40%), vehicle exhaust (37%), and industrial emissions (23%) were the main common sources of PM2.5 and CO2. Controlling the combustion of fossil fuels and long-term vehicle electrification still hold significant importance for reducing pollutions and carbon emissions. The results of data-driven ML models show that temperature had the highest effect among meteorological factors, reflecting the seasonal changes of CO2 and PM2.5. The study provides a feasible framework for exploring co-benefits of clean air policies on greenhouse gas emissions based on online observation dataset.

Floating plastics as integrative samplers of organic contaminants of legacy and emerging concern from Western Mediterranean coastal areas

This study investigates the role of floating plastics as integrative samplers of organic contaminants. To this end, plastics items were collected in two Western Mediterranean coastal areas: the Mar Menor lagoon, and the last transect of Ebro river. Floating plastics were identified and characterized by attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry. Then, organic contaminants were extracted from plastic items by ultrasonic extraction with methanol, and the concentrations of 168 regulated and emerging contaminants were analysed. These compounds were analysed by stir bar sorptive extraction coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), except for bisphenol analogues, which were analysed with a ultraperformance liquid chromatography pump coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (UHPLC-MS/MS), and pharmaceutical compounds, determined by UPLC coupled to hybrid triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometer (UPLC-MS/MS). All the contaminants groups considered were detected in the samples, being particularly relevant the contribution of plastic additives. The most frequently detected contaminants were UV-filters, PAHs, pharmaceuticals and synthetic musks. Apart from plasticizers, the individual contaminants octocrylene, homosalate, galaxolide, salycilic acid and ketoprofen were frequently detected in plastics items. The results pointed out to urban and touristic activities as the main sources of pollution in the coastal areas investigated. The utility of floating plastics as integrative samplers for the detection of organic contaminants in aquatic ecosystems has been demonstrated.

Quantifying the seasonal variations in and regional transport of PM2.5 in the Yangtze River Delta region, China: characteristics, sources, and health risks

Abstract. Given the increasing complexity of the chemical composition of PM2.5, identifying and quantitatively assessing the contributions of pollution sources has played an important role in formulating policies to control particle pollution. This study provides a comprehensive assessment between PM2.5 chemical characteristics, sources, and health risks based on sampling data conducted over 1 year (March 2018 to February 2019) in Nanjing. Results show that PM2.5 exhibits a distinct variation across different seasons, which is primarily driven by emissions, meteorological conditions, and the chemical conversion of gaseous pollutants. First, the chemical mass reconstruction shows that secondary inorganic aerosols (62.5 %) and carbonaceous aerosols (21.3 %) contributed most to the PM2.5 mass. The increasing oxidation rates of SO2 and NO2 from summer to winter indicate that the secondary transformation of gaseous pollutants is strongly positively correlated with relative humidity. Second, the positive matrix factorization (PMF) method shows that identified PM2.5 sources include secondary inorganic aerosol source (SIS, 42.5 %), coal combustion (CC, 22.4 %), industry source (IS, 17.3 %), vehicle emission (VE, 10.7 %), fugitive dust (FD, 5.8 %), and other sources (1.3 %). The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model and the concentration-weighted trajectory (CWT) analysis are used to further explore different spatial distributions and regional transport of sources. The concentrations (10–11 µg m−3) of SIS and CC distribute in Nanjing and central China in winter. The concentrations (8–10 µg m−3) of IS and VE are potentially located north of Jiangsu, Anhui, and Jiangxi. Finally, the health risk assessment indicates that the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of toxic elements (Cr, As, Ni, Mn, V, and Pb) mainly come from IS, VE, and CC, which are within the tolerance or acceptable level. Although the main source of pollution in Nanjing is SIS at present, we should pay more attention to the health burden of vehicle emissions, coal combustion, and industrial processes.

Investigation of Elemental Deposition in Lamdong Province (Vietnam) by the Moss Biomonitoring Method and Neutron Activation Analysis

The results of an investigation of heavy metal air pollution in Lamdong province (Vietnam) using the moss biomonitoring method are presented in this paper. Barbula Indica moss samples were collected at 30 different locations in Dalat and Baoloc, two major cities of Lamdong province. The concentrations of 10 heavy metal and metalloid elements, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Zn, As, Hf, and Ta in the collected moss samples, were determined by the neutron activation analysis method using the nuclear reactor at the Nuclear Research Institute in Dalat. The results show that the air in Lamdong province may be polluted by Mn and is moderately polluted by Sc, V, Cr, Fe, Co, Zn, As, Hf and Ta. The main sources of heavy metal pollution in the Lamdong atmosphere may be soil dust, traffic emissions, industry, bauxite mining and refining, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and combustion of coal and oil. By comparing heavy element concentrations in the moss from Lamdong with that of Hanoi, Thainguyen, and several European countries, it is found that heavy metal air pollution in Lamdong is much lower than in Hanoi and Thainguyen and much higher than in the European countries.

Characterisation of vehicle emissions in a road tunnel in Lisbon

In urban areas, road traffic is one of the main sources of air pollutants, mainly as particulate matter (PM). Knowledge about fingerprints of vehicle emissions under real-world driving conditions is scarce for Europe, especially in Portugal. The aim of this study was to characterise and quantify vehicle emissions through road tunnel measurements. The sampling campaign was carried out during one week inside a road tunnel and simultaneously in an urban background site in Lisbon. PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 filters were analysed by PIXE for elemental composition and by a thermal-optical transmittance technique for the determination of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC). PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were, at least, 20 and 10 times higher than those found in the background, respectively. Inside the tunnel, particle organic matter (POM), EC and other anthropogenic compounds accounted for more than 90.0% of the PM2.5 mass. Fe, Ca, Si, S and Cu represented 88.7% of the PM2.5-bound elements, while Fe, Cl, Ca, Si, Cu, Zn, Na, S, Ba mostly contributed to the PM2.5–10 elemental mass fraction (93.8%). Total carbon represented about 58.5% of PM2.5 and 26.5% of PM2.5–10. EC presented a high tunnel/background ratio (T/B = 35.4 for PM2.5 and 48.8 for PM2.5–10). Cu, Fe, Cr, Ba, Mn, Zn and Rb, which are key tracers of tyre and brake wear, showed a T/B > 70 and very good correlations between them. The emission factors (EF) of PM2.5 and PM10 were estimated to be 139 ± 20.7 and 172 ± 23.9 mg veh−1 km−1. The average EF of OC and EC in PM2.5 were 30.9 ± 6.48 and 44.6 ± 7.33 mg veh−1 km−1. This real-world study contributes to define road traffic emission profiles in urban areas, provide data to update European emission inventories, and evaluate the impact of traffic-generated PM on human health and the environment.

Anthropogenic Impact on the Quality of Water and Agricultural Soil in Guadiana Valley, Durango, Mexico

Abstract One of the most important effluents in Guadiana Valley, Durango is El Tunal River, mostly used for agricultural and livestock supply. This river has been polluted by agricultural activity and wastewater discharges. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the current quality of water and agricultural soil near the river, to estimate the environmental situation of the agricultural sector and its main pollution sources. Hence, a total of 24 soil and five water samples were taken, analysing parameters of organic matter, pH, nutrients, and heavy metals(loid)s (As, Cd, Pb, Zn) in five agricultural areas. The randomised experimental design showed significant variations in soil (p < 0.05) of organic matter, nitrogen, As, and Pb between sampling points, confirming suitable conditions for agriculture. Although contamination by heavy metal(loid)s exists, it is below permitted levels. In contrast, the physicochemical quality of the water indicated high levels of phosphates, total dissolved solids, and total coliforms, mainly in the nearest site of a wastewater treatment plant, thus the quality of the water is not suitable for consumption and irrigation for sensitive crops. Nevertheless, rainfall contributes to improve the quality of the river by diluting pollutants. Moreover, constant use of this water might represent a risk to human health and agriculture as it could transport elements to crops or soil, becoming a severe environmental problem.