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Urban road dust is an increasingly important source of air pollution and poses a serious threat to human health. In Poland, the urban road dust (URD) problem is enhanced by the use of old generation transport vehicles and transport systems. Seasonal variation in URD-bound elements is not well-known in Poland and controlling their pollution level can be a tough task. Therefore, studies on winter dust pollution will help to understand the sources of URD and take appropriate measures to reduce road dust emissions in the future. We analysed the relative content of heavy metals in two representative regions of Poland, Lower and Upper Silesia, and evaluated the sources of the contamination with the following pollution indices: Enrichment Factor (EF), Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo), pollution index (PI), and Pollution Load Index (PLI). We assessed the health risk for inhabitants due to the exposure to toxic metals through URD. We found that both studied regions are quite heavily polluted in winter. Our studies clearly show that the URD-bound elements level is much higher in Upper Silesia than in Lower Silesia in winter. The results of this study are useful for researchers to bridge the gap on the pollution of elements in URD from Poland, where there is a lack of such data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods for using spider webs as passive air samplers have been developed over recent years and reported in more than a dozen articles. In this article, we present the typical procedures followed when using this new tool and critically review its application in air pollution assessment. To understand the state of research and application of spider webs in this field, we describe some advantages and disadvantages of their use in the analyses of air contaminants. The aim is to summarize the current knowledge on this subject, highlight gaps in the present studies, and arouse the interest of scientists on this issue. The increased effort could result in the standardization of the method at the national and international level. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:32–44. © 2022 SETAC KEY POINTS: This review proves that spider webs can be successfully used in biomonitoring studies of air pollution, and they give good results in terms of concentration of potentially toxic elements as well as PAHs.Despite the great potential of spider webs, it seems it will still be a long time before this tool becomes widely used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on the heavy metal concentrations on spider webs in relation to the pathways of pollution penetration (external and internal) have yet to be performed. This work assesses the concentration levels of two heavy metals: essential copper (Cu) and toxic lead (Pb) in spider webs and spiders (females, males and juveniles). Spiders divided into three treatment groups were exposed to the heavy metals in their diet as prey (fruit flies and mealworms larvae) were artificially contaminated with Cu and Pb. In general, we found higher rates of Cu compared to Pb concentrations in spiders and their webs. A positive correlation between levels of Cu and Pb in webs and spiders was found. Males had higher concentrations of both metals Cu and Pb in their bodies and webs compared to females. In an additional experiment, washed webs had significantly less metals than unwashed suggesting the dominance of external pollution in the contamination pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Depopulation concerns many polish cities, with the exception of a few metropolises such as Wrocław (Lower Silesia) and Katowice (Upper Silesia) where investments are growing and therefore more humans are exposed to urban environmental pollution. Accumulation of toxic substances on road surfaces is a major global challenge requiring methods of assessing risk that initiate the proper management strategies. In this study urban road dust (URD) has been collected at seventeen sites in Lower and Upper Silesia regions in Poland renowned for their elevated level of pollution. The aim of the study was: (i) to determine PAH concentration in URD in both regions with the identification of their possible sources based on diagnostic ratio; (ii) to assess possible mutagenic effects of URD with the application of Ames test (Salmonella assay); (iii) to define a possible carcinogenic risk related to URD in both studied regions. We found that the total PAH content of collected URD samples ranged from 142.4 to 1349.4 ng g−1. The diagnostic ratio of PAHs in URD for all studied sites showed that pyrogenic combustion predominated indicating traffic-related and biomass sources of pollution. The Ames assay, which has never been used in studies of URD in Poland, demonstrated that in both regions, URD samples (from eight sites), were characterised by the highest mutagenicity values. Additionally, Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) values, based on PAH content only, were between 10 and 6 to 10−4 indicating potential risk of cancer. Reassuming, humans in both agglomerations are exposed to factors or compounds with carcinogenic properties which may have an adverse health effect through the urban road dust mainly due to vehicular traffic, heating systems and industrial activities. [Display omitted] • Two model regions in Poland were used to study the mutagenicity of URD. • The mutagenicity of URD is related to municipal transport and home heating. • ILCR values at both regions indicate a high potential risk of developing cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterocyclic compounds could remain in the environment as hazardous and resistant pollutants. The aim of this study was to determine the physiological features of Methylobacterium sp. GPE1 strain being able to degrade heterocyclic compounds. Ten various substrates (sugars, alcohols and acids) were used in this assay, for metabolic purposes and eight ones were used as a sole source of carbon and energy. The comparison of the results with data taken from the literature indicated that GPE 1 could be a new species of Methylobacterium sp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have proven that spider webs can be a reliable tool for magnetic biomonitoring. This study aims to present the magnetic susceptibility values of urban road dust (URD) settled indoors and outdoors, and compare these values with spider webs exposed to indoor and outdoor pollutants, and therefore to discuss their potential environmental implications. The webs of Eratigena atrica, Tegenaria ferruginea, and Agelena labyrinthica (Agelenidae) spiders from outdoor and indoor study sites were investigated, along with dust deposited on filters (indoors) and dust collected from the surrounding neighborhood (outdoors). Magnetic measurements revealed elevated levels of magnetic pollutants at all investigated sites in the city of Wrocław. The indoor/outdoor ratios of mass-specific magnetic susceptibility for the studied samples suggested a prevalence of indoor pollution sources at two of the sites (prosthetic laboratory and environmental science laboratory), whereas the third site (tenement house neighborhood) was dominated by material that presumably originated from predominantly outdoor sources. The indoor/outdoor ratios of magnetic susceptibility for the investigated matrices at the examined sites were highly comparable, which is promising for the utilization of spider webs in magnetic monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied a landfill where toxic sludge derived from copper ore production is deposited. These types of landfills pose a threat to the surrounding environment because of the complete lack of vegetation and dust emission. Thus, the problem refers to the future recultivation of these areas. In order to improve the quality of the affected environment, thus allowing plants development, we applied biopreparations containing biosurfactants and microorganisms for the following plant species: Zea mays, Lupinus luteus, Pisum sativum, Avena sativa, and Sinapsis alba. We studied their influence on both germination and plant growth. It was found that applying biosurfactants before germination stimulates all studied seeds. This effective technique could be used for the reclamation of soil contaminated by post-flotation waste. However, the usefulness of biosurfactants for further plant growth was not proved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]