Metals In Ambient Air Research Articles

Calculating Health and Ecological Risks of Pm2.5, and Lead Pollutants Exposure Among Communities Due to Cement Plant Emission, Maros Indonesia 2023

Purpose: This study assessed the possible impacts of PM 2.5, and Lead exposures on populations and ecology as a result of breathing contaminated air and contaminated soil exposure near the Bosowa cement mill in Maros, Indonesia in 2023. Theoretical Framework: Anthropogenic and lithogenic activities can lead to an increase in the amount of heavy metals in ambient air and in soil as well as a decline in the quality of the environment. Methods: The magnitude of PM 2.5, and Lead were measured during the period of April-June 2023. The level of PM 2.5 on ambient air sampling was conducted using direct reading HAZ-Dust EPAM 5000, uses a laser analyzer in order to measure particulate level matter. The result or time-weighted average (TWA) value directly can be read after the measurement at the site. Then meteorological data was collected from Indonesia Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics online database. Then, lead concentrations on surface Soil were taken and analyzed using AAS. Potential ecological and human health risks. Results and Conclusion: Station 9 had the highest level of PM 2.5 concentration (98.23 g/m3), followed by station 11 (97.14 g/m3). In comparison, station 3 had the lowest amount at (31.24 g/m3) and station 5 had the highest level at 32.91 g/m3, respectively. Additionally, station 10 had the greatest amount of Pb air particulate concentration, followed by station 11 with 88.33 g/m3, while station 6 had the highest level of Pb in surface soil, at 196.90 and 166.91 mg/g, respectively. In comparison, station 15 had the lowest amount at (54.76 mg/g), and station 14 had the highest level at (88.87 mg/g), respectively. The findings implied that both PM2.5 and Pb have medium risks to exposed communities. It could be valuable for managing the air quality due to the industry activities and soil remediation in residential areas. Research Implications: Exposure to PM2.5 and Pb air particulates is more hazardous to the environment than it is to human health. PM2.5 and Pb levels in the soil and air had accumulated. More thought should be given, and remedial action should be set to lowering PM2.5 and Lead concentrations and their consequences on the environment in the research region. Originality/value: This study encompasses relevant study that have conducted between 1990 and 2022 and lucidly summarizes the magnitude of PM2.5 and Pb in the air and soil, in addition this research emphasize the risks of environmental and human due to the PM2.5 and Pb Contamination acutely and chronically.

Ambient air emissions of endocrine-disrupting metals and the incidence of hormone receptor- and HER2-dependent female breast cancer in USA.

Limited evidence exists on the relationship between exposure to endocrine-disrupting metals in ambient air and hormone receptor- and HER2-dependent breast cancer. This study investigates the association between ambient air emissions of endocrine-disrupting metals and the incidence of female breast cancer of different receptor status. County-level data from the US national datasets were analyzed for the association between emissions of various metals including arsenic, cadmium, chromium VI, lead, and mercury, and the annual age-adjusted incidence of hormone receptor-dependent breast cancer for 1990-2016 and HER2-dependent breast cancer for 2010-2016 using adjusted linear regression models. Lead emissions showed the strongest association among the metals examined with the incidence of different receptor status breast cancers, including ER-positive, ER-negative, PR-negative, HER2-negative, and Triple-negative breast cancers, with the adjusted β ranging from 917.26 for ER-negative to 3182.37 for HER2-negative breast cancer. Arsenic and mercury showed significant associations with the incidence of ER-positive, ER-negative, PR-positive, and PR-negative breast cancers. However, cadmium emissions were only significantly associated with ER-negative breast cancer. Moreover, chromium was not associated with any subtypes of breast cancer. Among all of the metals, only lead and mercury emissions showed significant associations with HER2-negative and Triple-negative breast cancer incidence. The results from this study suggest that increased exposure to endocrine-disrupting metals, especially lead, in ambient air could be associated with an increased incidence of female breast cancers with various receptor status in the US. Prospective studies are warranted to further explore this relationship.

Pollution level and health risk assessment of heavy metals in ambient air and surface dust from Saudi Arabia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Pollution level and health risk assessment of heavy metals in ambient air and surface dust from Saudi Arabia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Impact of Heavy Metals in Ambient Air on Insulin Resistance of Shipyard Welders in Northern Taiwan

Exposure to metals poses potential health risks, including insulin resistance (IR), to those exposed to them in excess. Limited studies have examined such risks in occupational workers, including welders, and these have yielded inconsistent results. Thus, we examined the associations between exposure to welding metals and IR in welders. We recruited 78 welders and 75 administrative staff from a shipyard located in northern Taiwan. Personal exposure to heavy metals, including chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd), was monitored through particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and urine analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS). After each participant fasted overnight, blood samples were collected and analyzed for IR assessment through updated homeostasis model assessment (HOMA2) modeling. Air sampling in the personal breathing zone was performed during a Monday shift prior to the blood and urine sample collection the following morning. The welders’ median personal Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn airborne PM2.5 levels and urinary Cd levels were significantly higher than those of the administrative staff. After adjustment for covariates, logarithmic PM2.5-Mn, PM2.5-Fe, PM2.5-Cu, and PM2.5-Zn levels were positively correlated with logarithmic fasting plasma glucose (P-FGAC) levels (PM2.5-Mn: β = 0.0105, 95% C.I.: 0.0027–0.0183; PM2.5-Fe: β = 0.0127, 95% C.I.: 0.0027–0.0227; PM2.5-Cu: β = 0.0193, 95% C.I.: 0.0032–0.0355; PM2.5-Zn: β = 0.0132, 95% C.I.: 0.0005–0.0260). Logarithmic urinary Zn was positively correlated with logarithmic serum insulin and HOMA2-IR levels and negatively correlated with logarithmic HOMA2-insulin sensitivity (%S; βinsulin = 0.2171, 95% C.I.: 0.0025–0.4318; βIR = 0.2179, 95% C.I.: 0.0027–0.4330; β%S = −0.2180, 95% C.I.: −0.4334 to −0.0026). We observed that glucose homeostasis was disrupted by Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn exposure through increasing P-FGAC and IR levels in shipyard welders.

Assessment of Ambient Air Quality around Ihetutu Minefield, Ishiagu, Nigeria

This study assessed the levels of physicochemical characteristics and heavy metals in ambient air around Ihetutu community in Ishiagu, Nigeria, to evaluate the impact of prolonged Pb-Zn mining and several other related activities on air quality in the area. Particulates, heavy metals, microclimatic and gaseous parameters in ambient air were analyzed for the assessment. Sampling and quality measurements were done during rainy, late rainy, dry and late dry seasons between 2018 and 2019, from study and control areas. Samples were analyzed for particulates and heavy metals in the laboratory while microclimatic and gaseous parameters were measured in-situ using standard field equipment and procedures. Mean and seasonal concentrations of parameters were determined to evaluate the ambient air quality at various locations in the study area. Results showed high mean values of some parameters including; ambient temperature (35.19oC), Relative Humidity (65.78%), SO2 (0.33ppm), NO2 (0.30ppm), PM10 (89.73µg/m3), Cu (0.03mg/L), Zn (0.06mg/L), Fe (0.39mg/L), Mn (2.28mg/L), Ni (0.04mg/L) and Pb (0.05mg/L). Highest Noise level in the study area was 60.40 dB(A). SO2 and NO2 were below detection limits during the dry seasons, but with mean levels above daily average limits of DPR, NESREA, and WHO, due to their high levels during the rainy seasons, except at Amaonye Square. CO mean levels were above FMEnv daily average limit but within DPR limit. PM10 mean values were within NESREA recommended daily average limit while dry season values were above. Zn and Fe pollution along the stations were in the order of SAS3>SAS4>SAS5, while Pb pollution was SAS3>SAS4=SAS5. Generally, trend of heavy metal pollution was Mn>Fe>Pb>Zn>Cd=Cu=Ni. Highest positive correlation within the heavy metals was between Zn and Fe (r = 1.000). There were also no statistically significant differences in means of the parameters among sampling stations (p>0.05). The results revealed pollution of ambient air in the area by heavy metals and gaseous substances, especially around the mining sites and high traffic areas. Proper monitoring of the operations of mining companies and other artisan activities is recommended, to ensure that ambient air status in the area is excellent and within standard guidelines.

Quantifying metal emissions from vehicular traffic using real world emission factors.

Road traffic emissions are an increasingly important source of particulate matter in urban and non-road environments, where non-tailpipe emissions can contribute substantially to elevated levels of metals associated with adverse health effects. Thus, better characterization and quantification of traffic-emitted metals is warranted. In this study, real-world emission factors for fine particulate metals were determined from hourly x-ray fluorescence measurements over a three-year period (2015-2018) at an urban roadway and busy highway. Inter-site differences and temporal trends in real-world emission factors for metals were explored. The emission factors at both sites were within the range of past studies, and it was found that Ti, Fe, Cu, and Ba emissions were 2.2-3.0 times higher at the highway site, consistent with the higher proportion of heavy-duty vehicles. Weekday emission factors for some metals were also higher by 2.0-3.5 times relative to Sundays for Mn, Zn, Ca, and Fe, illustrating a dependence on fleet composition and roadway activity. Metal emission factors were also inversely related to relative humidity and precipitation, due to reduced road dust resuspension under wetter conditions. Correlation analysis revealed groups of metals that were co-emitted by different traffic activities and sources. Determining emission factors enabled the isolation of traffic-related metal emissions and also revealed that human exposure to metals in ambient air can vary substantially both temporally and spatially depending on fleet composition and traffic volume.

Characteristics, Emission Sources, and Risk Factors of Heavy Metals in PM2.5 from Southern Malaysia

Exposure to fine particulate-bound toxic metals in ambient air poses adverse effects to human. This study aims to determine the spatial variability in heavy metals in PM2.5 samples, for identifying...

Concentration trends of metals in ambient air in the UK: a review.

The monitoring of metals in ambient air has been undertaken for over 40 years on a national basis in the UK. During this period, the UK pollution landscape has continued to evolve in terms of emission sources, and the measurement framework for metals in ambient air, the UK Heavy Metals Monitoring Network, has also been subject to significant configuration changes. Therefore, this work provides a timely review of more recent concentration trends in the context of current emission profiles. Overall, throughout this time period, there has been a significant downward trend in the emissions and consequently, the measured concentrations of most metals in UK ambient air. Ambient concentrations were generally found to be well correlated with emission estimates. Analysis of the sensitivity of measured concentrations to emissions suggests that concentrations have fallen faster than the reduction in emission estimates would have predicted at typical median urban background sites.

Endocrine-disrupting metals in ambient air and female breast cancer incidence in US

Metals could act as endocrine disruptors that mimic the actions of hormones, such as estrogens, and contribute to the development and progression of breast cancer. In this study, we examined the association between ambient air emissions of several endocrine-disrupting metals and the incidence of female breast cancer in the United States by analyzing county-level data from national datasets. Linear regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the association in unadjusted and adjusted models. Of the metals analyzed, air emissions of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury, but not chromium VI, were significantly associated with the incidence of all breast cancers, after adjusting for potential confounders. Emissions of arsenic, lead, and mercury were found to be significantly associated with the incidence of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer. Among these metals, air emissions of lead showed the strongest association with breast cancer incidence with the β of 3756.66 (95% CI: 1660.29, 5853.03) for all breast cancers and 2433.85 (440.59, 4427.10) for ER-positive breast cancer. Our results demonstrate that exposure to endocrine-disrupting metals in ambient air may be associated with an increased incidence of breast cancer in the United States. Further studies are needed to explore these interactions and to elucidate mechanisms of action.

Trace metals concentration assessment in urban particulate matter in Yenagoa and its environs

This study was conducted to investigate the distribution and correlation of selected trace elements (Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State and its environs. Air particulate matter was collected gravimetrically at five stations (using a high volume portable SKC air check MTXSidekickair sampler (Model: 224-52MTX). The total suspended particulate matter samples were extracted in nitric acid and hydrochloric acid mixture, followed by the quantification of the trace elements by flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric (AAS) method (Model: AA 6600, GBC Avanta PM AAS). The estimated elemental data were then subjected to a set of Multivariate statistical analysis and evaluated for their mutual variations in the urban particles. The concentrations of trace elements (μgm-3) found in the particulate matter were in the order of Ca>Fe>Zn>Ni>Pb> Mn>Cu>Cd>Co>Cr. On the average, the correlation of the trace elements of the study area shows strong correlations between Pb-Ni, Fe-Mn, Co-Ni, Zn-Pb, with correlation coefficients of 0.767, 0.595, 0.508, and 0.791 respectively. Principal component analysis revealed that major sources of trace metals in ambient air of the study areas were mainly emissions from automobile exhaust, industrial emissions and gas flaring.Keywords: Particulate matter, trace elements, enrichment factor, toxic

Portable detection of trace metals in airborne particulates and sediments via μPADs and smartphone.

Particulate matter (PM), a key indicator of air pollution by natural and anthropogenic activities, contributes to a wide spectrum of diseases that lead to a shortening of life expectancy. It has been recognized that trace metals in airborne PM are highly toxic and can be correlated with lesion in respiratory, gastrointestinal, immunological, and hematological systems. Traditional methods for trace metal assay require sophisticated instrumentations and highly trained operators in centralized laboratories. In this work, by integrating the technologies of microfluidic paper-based analytical devices, additive manufacturing, smartphone, and colorimetric sensing, we developed the first smartphone based paper microfluidic platform for portable, disposable, and quantitative measurements of cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), and iron (Fe) in ambient air and street sediments. On a single A4-sized paper, 48 devices were fabricated in under 30 s with a total cost of ∼$1.9. On each device, 12 reaction units were patterned and used for colorimetric tests. Particulate samples from urban ambient air and street sediments were collected, processed, and analyzed. Signals of the on-chip complexation product were recorded using a smartphone camera and processed by a self-developed app on an iOS system. For precisely controlling the object distance, chip position, and luminance, a hand-held 3D cellphone housing was designed and printed. The detection limits of Co, Cu, and Fe were determined to be 8.2, 45.8, and 186.0 ng, while the linear dynamic ranges were calculated to be 8.2-81.6, 45.8-4.58 × 102, and 1.86 × 102-1.86 × 103 ng, representing a practically relevant device performance with a significant reduction in the detection cost and time consumption. Trace metals in ambient air and sediments of two cities in China have been quantified portably, thus demonstrating the utility of our system in improving strategies for air pollution control in low-resource settings.

Assessment of selected metals in the ambient air PM10 in urban sites of Bangkok (Thailand).

Estimating the atmospheric concentrations of PM10-bounded selected metals in urban air is crucial for evaluating adverse health impacts. In the current study, a combination of measurements and multivariate statistical tools was used to investigate the influence of anthropogenic activities on variations in the contents of 18 metals (i.e., Al, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, Sb, Ba, La, Ce and Pb) in ambient air. The concentrations of PM10-bounded metals were measured simultaneously at eight air quality observatory sites during a half-year period at heavily trafficked roads and in urban residential zones in Bangkok, Thailand. Although the daily average concentrations of Al, V, Cr, Mn and Fe were almost equivalent to those of other urban cities around the world, the contents of the majority of the selected metals were much lower than the existing ambient air quality guidelines and standard limit values. The sequence of average values of selected metals followed the order of Al > Fe > Zn > Cu > Pb > Mn > Ba > V > Sb > Ni > As > Cr > Cd > Se > Ce > La > Co > Sc. The probability distribution function (PDF) plots showed sharp symmetrical bell-shaped curves in V and Cr, indicating that crustal emissions are the predominant sources of these two elements in PM10. The comparatively low coefficients of divergence (COD) that were found in the majority of samples highlight that site-specific effects are of minor importance. A principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that 37.74, 13.51 and 11.32 % of the total variances represent crustal emissions, vehicular exhausts and the wear and tear of brakes and tires, respectively.

Spatial Variations of Particle-Bound Trace Metals in Ambient Air of Selected Niger Delta Communities of Rivers State, Nigeria

The objective of this study was to determine the spatial variation of particle-bound heavy metals in two communities with different industrial status in Nigeria’s Niger Delta Area. Fourteen ambient respirable particulate matter (PM10) samples 7 each from Eleme (highly industrialized) and Ahoada East (less industrialized) communities were collected according to standard methods using Anderson High volume sampler. Samples were analyzed for trace metals including Fe, Zn, Ni, Cd, and Pb using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Man Whitney U test and Spearman Rank Correlation all at P 10 levels were 1.83 times higher at Eleme than Ahoada East (P 0.05) and all the values were higher than both the USEPA and WHO limits. At Eleme spatial variation of PM10 was in the following order: APE5 > APE3 > APE7 > APE1 > APE4 > APE6 > APE2. Fe, Zn and Cd were higher at Eleme than Ahoada East and the EC/WHO values. Pb was poorly correlated with PM10 (r2 = 0.0819, P > 0.05) at Eleme. Communities with higher industrial presence in the Niger Delta are more exposed to particulate burden. Routine monitoring and strict adherence to regulatory limits must be enforced.

Tribological properties of graphite-like carbon coatings coupling with different metals in ambient air and water

Tribological properties of graphite-like carbon (GLC) coatings coupling with different metals of brass, Al, GCr15 and Ti in ambient air and water were investigated. The order of friction coefficients (FCs) was GLC–brass>GLC–Al>GLC–GCr15>GLC–Ti in both of the two environments, but the FC in water was lower than that in ambient air for each tribo-pair. Wear rates (WRs) decreases of the GLC coating in water were observed when sliding against Al, GCr15 and Ti. Though the WR of GLC coating sliding against brass increased in water, it was still comparatively low.

Hazardous Metals in Ambient Air Due to New Year Fireworks during 2004–2011 Celebrations in Pearl City, Hawaii

Hazardous Metals in Ambient Air Due to New Year Fireworks during 2004–2011 Celebrations in Pearl City, Hawaii

Chemical Characterization of PM10 for Metals in Ambient Air of Chennai, India

AbstractThe study was undertaken to assess the effect on ambient air concentration of PM10 and metals attributed to various localized activities at different land-use locations in Chennai City, India. The study for PM10, toxic metals, and correlation of metal and source apportionment analysis has been carried out at industrial, commercial and residential locations in the city. The monthly PM10 levels showed a significant variation among locations, and annual averages of PM10 were below the CPCB standards. Among the metals analyzed, Zn was found to dominate in all the monitoring locations. The source apportionment studies have indicated that oil burning emissions, waste incinerators and resuspension of road dust are major sources of PM10 in the study region.

Pollutant roses for daily averaged ambient air pollutant concentrations

Pollutant roses are indispensable tools to identify unknown (fugitive) sources of heavy metals at industrial sites whose current impact exceeds the target values imposed for the year 2012 by the European Air Quality Daughter Directive 2004/207/EC. As most of the measured concentrations of heavy metals in ambient air are daily averaged values, a method to obtain high quality pollutant roses from such data is of practical interest for cost-effective air quality management. A computational scheme is presented to obtain, from daily averaged concentrations, 10° angular resolution pollutant roses, called PRP roses, that are in many aspects comparable to pollutant roses made with half-hourly concentrations. The computational scheme is a ridge regression, based on three building blocks: 1. ordinary least squares regression; 2. outlier handling by weighting based on expected values of the higher percentiles in a lognormal distribution; 3. weighted averages whereby observed values, raised to a power m, and daily wind rose frequencies are used as weights. Distance measures are used to find the optimal value for m. The performance of the computational scheme is illustrated by comparing the pollutant roses, constructed with measured half-hourly SO 2 data for 10 monitoring sites in the Antwerp harbour, with the PRP roses made with the corresponding daily averaged SO 2 concentrations. A miniature dataset, made up of 7 daily concentrations and of half-hourly wind directions assigned to 4 wind sectors, is used to illustrate the formulas and their results.

The effect of isotopic composition on the uncertainty of routine metal mass concentration measurements in ambient air.

The main sources of uncertainty encountered during the analysis of the mass concentration of metals in ambient air as part of the operation of the UK Heavy Metals Monitoring Network are presented. It is observed that the uncertainty contribution from possible variation in the isotopic composition of the sample depends on the element in question, but can be significant (e.g., for Pb, Cd, and Hg). The working curve method for the ICP-MS analysis of metals in solution, with a low resolution, high throughput instrument measuring at one m/z ratio per element, relies on the relative abundance of the isotopes under consideration being the same in both the sample and the calibration solution. Calculation of the uncertainty in this analysis assumes that the isotopic composition variation within the sample and calibration solution is limited to a defined range. Therefore, in order to confirm the validity of this quantification methodology and its uncertainty budget, the isotopic composition of the calibration standards used for quantification has been determined. The results of this analysis are presented here.

Seasonal variation of heavy metals in ambient air and precipitation at a single site in Washington, DC

Atmospheric samples of precipitation and ambient air were collected at a single site in Washington, DC, for 7 months (for ambient air samples) and 1 year (for wet deposition samples) and analyzed for arsenic, cadmium, chromium and lead. The ranges of heavy metal concentrations for 6-day wet deposition samples collected over the 1-year period were 0.20-1.3 microg/l, 0.060-5.1 microg/l, 0.062-4.6 microg/l and 0.11-3.2 microg/l for arsenic, cadmium, chromium and lead, respectively, with a precision better than 5% for more than 95% of the measurements. The ranges of heavy metal concentrations for the 6-day ambient air samples were 0.800-15.7 ng/m(3), 1.50-30.0 ng/m(3), 16.8-112 ng/m(3), and 2.90-137 ng/m(3) for arsenic, cadmium, chromium and lead, respectively, with a precision better than 10%. The spread in the heavy metal concentration over the observation period suggests a high seasonal variability for heavy metal content in both ambient air and wet deposition samples.

Trace Metals in Ambient Air: Hourly Size-Segregated Mass Concentrations Determined by Synchrotron-XRF

Trace metals are ubiquitous in urban ambient air, with mass concentrations in the range of a few microg/m3 down to less than 100 pg/m3. To measure such low concentrations represents a challenge for chemical and physical analysis. In this study, ambient aerosol was collected in Zürich (Switzerland) in 1-h intervals and three size fractions (aerodynamic diameters 0.1-1 microm, 1-2.5 microm, and 2.5-10 microm), using a three-stage rotating drum impactor (RDI). The samples were analyzed by energy-dispersive Synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (SR-XRF) to obtain size-segregated hourly elemental aerosol mass concentrations for Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br, and Pb, along with S, Cl, and Ca under the selected experimental conditions. The high sensitivity of SR-XRF allowed for detection limits of <50 pg/m3 for most of the above elements, with a net analysis time of only 15 s per sample. The data obtained with this technique illustrate that there is a considerable gain of relevant information when time resolution for measurements is increased from 1 day to 1 h. The individual size fractions of a specific element may show significantly different short-term patterns.