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Inorganic geochemistry of roadway dust from the metropolitan area of Palermo, Italy

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Environmental Geology

Abstract

Inorganic matter from roadway dust collected in the urban area of Palermo, Italy, was analysed to identify the chemical elements introduced into the environment as a result of human activities. Metals of environmental concern exhibit very high enrichment factors, which in some cases exceed 100. Metal size distribution indicates that Pd, Pt, Au, Sb, Zn, S, Ni, V, Mo and Cr substantially accumulate in the finest particles, whereas Pb, Br, As, Cu, Ag and Ba are almost independent of the size fraction. SEM/EDS analyses revealed that some individual particles contain clusters of foreign particles (<10 μm) made up of Fe-Ni, Cr-Ni or Fe alone, typical of the abrasion of stainless steel. Others are aggregates of smaller Pb-Br-Cl particles. Lead isotope composition indicates that Pb pollution is mainly due to automobile exhausts and industrial sources. Pt and Pd concentrations reveal the increasing release of these elements into the environment from catalytic converters. Data indicate that monitoring Total Solid Particles, as generally done by the municipal agencies for the environment, is inadequate from a sanitary point of view, while there is a need for more attention to the presence of trace elements in airborne particulate matter and their distribution as a function of particle size.

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Acknowledgements

The funding for this research was provided by the Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca (MIUR 60%). Other support was provided by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV sez.-Palermo).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dip. Chimica e Fisica della Terra (CFTA), via Archirafi 36, 90123 , Palermo, Italy

    D. Varrica & G. Dongarrà

  2. 1st Naz. Di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), via U. La Malfa 153, 90100 , Palermo, Italy

    G. Dongarrà

  3. Dip. Scienze della Terra, Salita Sperone 31, 98166 , Messina-Sant'Agata, Italy

    G. Sabatino

  4. UMR A111 Université de Bourgogne-INRA, GeoSol, 21000 , Dijon, France

    F. Monna

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  1. D. Varrica
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  2. G. Dongarrà
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  3. G. Sabatino
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  4. F. Monna
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Correspondence to G. Dongarrà.

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Varrica, D., Dongarrà, G., Sabatino, G. et al. Inorganic geochemistry of roadway dust from the metropolitan area of Palermo, Italy. Env Geol 44, 222–230 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-002-0748-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-002-0748-z

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