Search

Urban road dust (URD) is one of the most important non-point sources of pollution in agglomerations. The aim of this study was to assess the seasonal toxic effects of URD runoff in two regions of Poland. The concentrations of elements in URD and leachate were studied. The impact of pollutants in URD runoff on water organisms was evaluated using Daphtoxkit F and Rotoxkit F (LC50). The acute toxicity tests for crustaceans and rotifers were selected as the response of these taxa reflects the impact on zooplankton, a key component of aquatic ecosystem and the basis of most food webs. The concentrations of elements were found to vary depending on the site, although URD samples collected in Katowice agglomeration (Upper Silesia) had higher values of elements (Mn, Cu, Zn, As) compared to Wrocław (Lower Silesia). The concentrations of Mn, Zn, As, Cr, and Mg in water-soluble fraction of URD were higher in summer and winter in the Upper Silesia region due to rainwater runoff resulting from traffic, industries, post-industrial waste, and the presence of old heating systems. When comparing the content of elements in the water-soluble fraction between seasons, Zn, As, Cr, and Al concentrations were slightly higher in winter. The highest mortality of Daphnia magna and Brachiouns calyciflorus was observed in URD from both agglomerations in winter. However, the mortality is likely due to the concentration of elements or/and the coexistence of an unknown compound or a synergistic effect of the studied elements. This study highlights the alarming seasonal sources of elements in URD runoff, which will directly enter the food chain and affect the entire ecosystem, and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

The ambient concentrations and elemental composition of particles with aerodynamic diameters between 30 and 108 nm (quasi-ultrafine particles, q-UFP) were studied. The data came from 6 sites in Katowice and Zabrze, big cities in Upper Silesia, where particulate matter was sampled at urban background site and crossroads in Katowice and Zabrze, at highway in Katowice, and at urban road in Zabrze. The ambient concentrations of q-UFP and of 24 q-UFP-bound elements at these six sampling sites have been discussed in the paper. The q-UFP mass concentrations in Upper Silesia did not appear high, they were not higher than in other areas. The percentages of the total mass of the examined elements in the q-UFP mass suggest that in Upper Silesia, within a typical residential area, q-UFP consist mainly of primary matter. At the sites under strong influence of road traffic emissions, where the contributions of the examined elements to the q-UFP mass were small, most probably, carbonaceous matter and elemental carbon build the core q-UFP mass. The majority of the elements in q-UFP are anthropogenic. Clear effects of local PM sources can be seen on the ambient concentrations of q-UFP-bound Al, Si, S, Cl, K, Sc, Ti, V, Cd, Cr, Mn, Co, and Sb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]