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The European AIRUSE LIFE+ project aims at testing existing and future mitigation measures and developing new strategies for the improvement of air quality in Southern European countries. The project involves public and private institutions of Spain, UK, Portugal, Italy and Greece. PM10 and PM2.5 daily samplings have been scheduled for one year (from January 2013) in four urban sites, Barcelona (Spain), Porto (Portugal), Athens (Greece), and Florence (Italy). The daily data set gives an overall representative picture of the PM composition in these urban sites. The project includes also samplings with hourly resolution for limited periods. Hourly samples give an easier identification of the different aerosol sources due to the capability of tracking rapid changes as the ones occurring in many particulate emissions as well as in atmospheric transport and dilution processes. The role of PIXE technique within the project has been described in this paper. The comparison of data obtained by different techniques (e.g. PIXE, IC and ICP) assured a quality assurance control on the huge quantity of data obtained in the project. PIXE data together with those obtained by other analytical techniques have been used to reconstruct the average aerosol chemical composition and in Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis to determine the aerosol sources and their impact on PM10 and PM2.5 mass. In particular the high sensitivity of PIXE for all the crustal elements (including Si which is not easily detected by ICP) allows the direct determination of the Saharan dust contribution. Finally, the 1-h resolution data, which can be obtained only by PIXE, confirmed and reinforced the identification of the aerosol sources obtained by the daily concentrations.

A multi-analytical approach to chemical analysis of inhalable urban atmospheric particulate matter (PM), integrating particle induced X-ray emission, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry/atomic emission spectroscopy, chromatography and thermal-optical transmission methods, allows comparison between hourly (Streaker) and 24-h (High volume sampler) data and consequently improved PM chemical characterization and source identification. In a traffic hot spot monitoring site in Madrid (Spain) the hourly data reveal metallic emissions (Zn, Cu, Cr, Fe) and resuspended mineral dust (Ca, Al, Si) to be closely associated with traffic flow. These pollutants build up during the day, emphasizing evening rush hour peaks, but decrease (especially their coarser fraction PM 2.5-10 ) after nocturnal road washing. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis of a large Streaker database additionally reveals two other mineral dust components (siliceous and sodic), marine aerosol, and minor, transient events which we attribute to biomass burning (K-rich) and industrial (incinerator?) Zn, Pb plumes. Chemical data on 24-h filters allows the measurement of secondary inorganic compounds and carbon concentrations and offers PMF analysis based on a limited number of samples but using fuller range of trace elements which, in the case of Madrid, identifies the continuing minor presence of a coal combustion source traced by As, Se, Ge and Organic Carbon. This coal component is more evident in the city air after the change to the winter heating season in November. Trace element data also allow use of discrimination diagrams such as V/Rb vs. La/Ce and ternary plots to illustrate variations in atmospheric chemistry (such as the effect of Ce-emissions from catalytic converters), with Madrid being an example of a city with little industrial pollution, recently reduced coal emissions, but serious atmospheric contamination by traffic emissions. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd., This project was financed by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Feeding and Environment ( SERCA-058/PC08/3-18.1 ) and a visiting grant (TM) from the Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare in Florence. Appendix A

An example of an integrated approach to assess air pollution threats to cultural heritage in a semi-confined environment is presented in this work, where the monitoring campaign carried out at the Michelozzo's Courtyard (in Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy) is used as a case study. A wide research project was carried out, with the main aim of obtaining the first quantitative data on air quality and microclimate conditions inside the Courtyard, and, if possible, identifying the main causes of degradation and suggesting appropriate conservation strategies. The investigation adopted a holistic approach involving thermographic measurements on the wall paintings, microclimatic analysis, gaseous pollutant monitoring, atmospheric particles characterisation and dry deposition compositional analysis. Attention was focused on the wall painting depicting the city of Hall because of its anomalous and critical conservation conditions, which are visible at a glance, due to the contrast between a wide darker zone around the central subject of the painting and external lighter areas. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sub-micron sized particles are of increasing concern owing to their effects on human health and on the environment. Up to now there are still very few studies on PM I (i.e. particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter smaller than 1 mu m) chemical characterisation; the sub-micron sized fraction is not under regulations although it is of interest because it is almost exclusively associated to anthropogenic sources. To perform the first large-scale assessment of sub-micron sized aerosol concentrations, composition and sources, two monitoring campaigns at three urban sites in Italy were carried out during the wintertime and summertime of 2004. Chemical characterisation (elements, soluble ionic fraction, elemental and organic carbon) was carried out on PM1 samples: major contributions were due to organic matter (about 30\% in summer and 50\% in winter) and ammonium sulphate (about 10\% in winter and 40\% in summer). During the cold season, nitrates also contributed up to 30\% in Milan (lower contributions were registered at the other two urban sites). Chemical mass closure was achieved with an unaccounted mass in the range 14-22\%. Positive Matrix Factorisation (PMF) was applied to identify the major submicron sized particles' sources. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.