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Chemical characterization of atmospheric particulate matter in Friuli Venezia Giulia (NE Italy) by exploratory data analysis with multisite and multivariate approach

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A Correction to this article was published on 28 November 2018

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Abstract

The chemical composition of atmospheric particulate (PM10) in the Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) region (NE Italy) has been characterized for the first time with the help of exploratory data analysis (EDA) techniques (uni-, bi-, and multivariated, i.e., principal components analysis), molecular and elemental diagnostic ratios, and seasonal trends. Despite that the available analytical data was limited to the parameters routinely analyzed on PM10 by ARPA FVG (11 elements and 16 PAH congeners), the large number of samples and of measured chemical parameters, together with the applied techniques of data analysis, allowed us to extract useful latent information from the dataset, resulting in a greater knowledge of both regional and local features. Specifically, we succeeded in matching data patterns to the known pollution sources of some sampling stations, both industrial (two secondary fusion steelworks and one coke oven) and urban (traffic and domestic heating), and in defining the mainly urban or mainly industrial feature of some questionable sampling stations. This is of paramount importance to check for possible industrial inputs in urban stations, allowing policymakers to implement the most appropriate response.

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  • 28 November 2018

    Unfortunately, we encountered an error with units of measure in reporting data in the last two columns of Table 3 (on page 28814 in the printed version), so that those data should be changed as reported in the following corrected version of the Table

Notes

  1. ARPA FVG AMCQA Lab is accredited by the Italian National Accreditation Body (Accredia) for the determination of BaP and the four compulsory metals in PM.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all colleagues that contributed to data sampling, collection, and validation, namely Marco Bellini, Valter Cecchin, Agostino Colla, Gianmaria Cossio, Ivano De Simon, Lorenzo Fragiacomo, Rossana Michelini, Angela Roman Rioni, and Marco Visintin. We thank Alessandro Acquavita (ARPA FVG) and Alan Colli (University of Cambridge) for useful insights on the manuscript preparation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell’Ambiente (ARPA FVG) del Friuli Venezia Giulia, Palmanova, Italy

    Andrea Mistaro, Alessandro Felluga, Flavio Moimas, Anna Abatangelo, Tazio Asquini, Renata Bruno, Lorenzo Celic, Michele Guidarelli, Arnold Pastrello & Anita Semec Bertocchi

  2. ARPA FVG Laboratorio Acque Marino-Costiere e Qualità dell’Aria, via La Marmora 13, Trieste, Italy

    Andrea Mistaro, Anna Abatangelo, Tazio Asquini, Renata Bruno, Lorenzo Celic, Michele Guidarelli, Arnold Pastrello & Anita Semec Bertocchi

  3. ARPA FVG Direzione Tecnico Scientifica, via La Marmora 13, Trieste, Italy

    Alessandro Felluga

  4. ARPA FVG Qualità dell’Aria, via Cairoli 14, Palmanova, Italy

    Flavio Moimas

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  1. Andrea Mistaro
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  2. Alessandro Felluga
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Correspondence to Andrea Mistaro.

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Mistaro, A., Felluga, A., Moimas, F. et al. Chemical characterization of atmospheric particulate matter in Friuli Venezia Giulia (NE Italy) by exploratory data analysis with multisite and multivariate approach. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 28808–28828 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-1883-8

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