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At least 505 records · Page 28

Washington Health & Air Quality: Quantifying Air Quality Parameters and Validating Air Pollution Sources Impacting the Health of Puget Sound Residents Through the Use of NASA and ESA Remote Sensing Data

In the Puget Sound region of Washington, high levels of air pollutants put residents’ health at risk by increasing their likelihood of developing critical respiratory conditions. This project used remotely-sensed data to investigate aerosol optical depth (AOD) from NASA satellite sensors including the Terra and Aqua MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and European Space Agency Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI). The team visualized the most recent data in Google Earth Engine (GEE) API to display air pollution trends in Washington State, which will support the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency’s (PSCAA) decision-making processes. The team performed linear regressions using the Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm to form a relationship between ground-level microscopic particles (PM2.5) and AOD in the Puget Sound region, validating the relationship using concentration readings taken from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air quality monitors. The team utilized estimated PM2.5 and other satellite data to produce a web-based tool and to evaluate the effectiveness of using such a tool for near real-time air quality monitoring within a particular region. The team found that the tool provides useful supplementary data that fills in the gaps of the PSCAA’s air monitoring network.

Health & Air Quality↗

Washington Health & Air Quality: Quantifying Air Quality Parameters and Validating Air Pollution Sources Impacting the Health of Puget Sound Residents Through the Use of NASA and ESA Remote Sensing Data

In the Puget Sound region of Washington, high levels of air pollutants put residents’ health at risk by increasing their likelihood of developing critical respiratory conditions. This project used remotely-sensed data to investigate aerosol optical depth (AOD) from NASA satellite sensors including the Terra and Aqua MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and European Space Agency Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI). The team visualized the most recent data in Google Earth Engine (GEE) API to display air pollution trends from Northern California to British Columbia, which will support the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency’s (PSCAA) decision-making processes. The team performed linear regressions using the Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm to form a relationship between ground-level microscopic particles (PM2.5) and AOD in the Puget Sound region, validating the relationship using concentration readings taken from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air quality monitors. The team utilized estimated PM2.5 and other satellite data to produce a web-based tool and to evaluate the effectiveness of using such a tool for near real-time air quality monitoring within a particular region. The team found that the tool provides useful supplementary data that fills in the gaps of the PSCAA’s air monitoring network.

Health & Air Quality↗

Causes of Model Biases in Simulating Inorganic Aerosol Composition During KORUS-AQ and Implications for the Estimate of Transboundary Pollution

East Asia is a region of increasing economic growth which has led to severe PM2.5 pollution in urban areas. The joint NASA-NIER Korea-United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) field campaign in May-June 2016 provided an extensive dataset of ground, airborne, and remote sensing observations to test model simulations of PM2.5 pollution transport and potential control measures. During KORUS-AQ, a period of haze was observed in which PM2.5 rapidly increased to the highest levels observed during the campaign. This increase is associated with increasing inorganic aerosol. While a portion of this increase is due to long-range transport, there is observational evidence that aerosol formation from local precursors was also enhanced. This suggests that domestic policy measures could have a greater than expected influence on controlling PM2.5. However, models have difficulty reproducing PM2.5 levels, particularly the composition of secondary inorganic aerosol. Models generally underestimate sulfate and overestimate nitrate and fail to represent the peak levels of PM2.5 during haze events. These biases have been chiefly attributed to errors in chemical mechanisms and model meteorology, not issues with underlying emissions inventories. Here, we use observations from KORUS-AQ interpreted by the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model to improve the model’s ability to reproduce secondary inorganic aerosol concentrations during the campaign and explore mechanisms to improve model biases during the haze event. We assess the fraction of inorganic aerosol from the improved model simulation that results from transboundary transport during KORUS-AQ and test the model sensitivity to potential emission reduction measures that could improve air quality in Seoul during different meteorological periods including haze episodes.

Katie Travis↗

Assessment of Natural and Anthropogenic Aerosol Air Pollution In the Middle East Using MERRA-2, CAMS Data Assimilation Products, and High-Resolution WRF-Chem Model Simulations

Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications v.2 (MERRA-2), Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service Operational Analysis (CAMS-OA), and a high-resolution regional Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem) were used to evaluate natural and anthropogenic particulate matter (PM) air pollution in the Middle East (ME) during 2015–2016. Two Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) retrievals – combined product Deep Blue and Deep Target (MODIS-DB&DT) and Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) – and Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) aerosol optical depth (AOD) observations as well as in situ PM measurements for 2016 were used for validation of the WRF-Chem output and both assimilation products. MERRA-2 and CAMS-OA assimilate AOD observations. WRF-Chem is a free-running model, but dust emission in WRF-Chem is tuned to fit AOD and aerosol volume size distributions obtained from AERONET. MERRA-2 was used to construct WRF-Chem initial and boundary conditions both for meteorology and chemical and aerosol species. SO2 emissions in WRF-Chem are based on the novel OMI-HTAP SO2 emission dataset. The correlation with the AERONET AOD is highest for MERRA-2 (0.72–0.91), MAIAC (0.63–0.96), and CAMSOA (0.65–0.87), followed by MODIS-DB&DT (0.56–0.84) and WRF-Chem (0.43–0.85). However, CAMS-OA has a relatively high positive mean bias with respect to AERONET AOD. The spatial distributions of seasonally averaged AODs from WRF-Chem, assimilation products, and MAIAC are well correlated with MODIS-DB&DT AOD product. MAIAC has the highest correlation (R = 0.8), followed by MERRA-2 (R = 0.66), CAMS-OA (R = 0.65), and WRF-Chem (R = 0.61). WRF-Chem, MERRA-2, and MAIAC underestimate and CAMS-OA overestimates MODIS-DB&DT AOD. The simulated and observed PM concentrations might differ by a factor of 2 because it is more challenging for the model and the assimilation products to reproduce PM concentration measured within the city. Although aerosol fields in WRF-Chem and assimilation products are entirely consistent, WRF-Chem is preferable for analysis of regional air quality over the ME due to its higher spatial resolution and better SO2 emissions. The WRF-Chem’s PM background concentrations exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines over the entire ME. Mineral dust is the major contributor to PM (≈ 75%–95%) compared to other aerosol types. Near and downwind from the SO2 emission sources, non-dust aerosols (primarily sulfate) contribute up to 30% to PM(sub 2.5). The contribution of sea salt to PM in coastal regions can reach 5%. The contributions of organic matter, black carbon and organic carbon to PM over the Middle East are insignificant. In the major cities over the Arabian Peninsula, the 90th percentile of PM(sub 10) and PM(sub 2.5) (particles with diameters less than 10 and 2.5 μm, respectively) daily mean surface concentrations exceed the corresponding Kingdom of Saudi Arabia air quality limits. The contribution of the non-dust component to PM(sub 2.5) is < 25%, which limits the emission control effect on air quality. The mitigation of the dust effect on air quality requires the development of environment-based approaches like growing tree belts around the cities and enhancing in-city vegetation cover. The WRF-Chem configuration presented in this study could be a prototype of a future air quality forecast system that warns the population against air pollution hazards.

Alexander Ukhov↗

Asthma and Particulate Matter Pollution: Insights from Health Survey and Air Quality Monitoring in the Buzzard Point, Washington, DC Neighborhood

Air pollution, climate change, and other environmental factors contribute to increasing asthma in manycities, including Washington, DC. This work provides a case study of how community input, neighborhood-level health surveys, and air quality monitoring can inform the understanding of asthma and air pollution.A partnership between residents, concerned citizens, scientists, and educators has been working for envi-ronmental health in a DC neighborhood located on a major roadway, next to concrete batch plants andclose to several construction projects. A 2016 Community Health and Safety Study by the DC Departmentof Health, Office of Health Equity, recognized this particular neighborhood as more vulnerable to healthimpacts from recent construction in the area, compared with the surrounding areas, due to lower averageincome and higher percentage of seniors and children. This work presents neighborhood health surveysand air quality monitoring data at a more granular, local level than available from DC governmentagencies. The health surveys documented residents’ experiences around air pollution, asthma,and other health concerns. A key finding was evidence that asthma might be undercounted in thisneighborhood; among residents who did not indicate a diagnosis of asthma, many discussed havingsymptoms that could reflect asthma. Air quality monitoring (particulate matter [PM]) did not indicate thatfederal air quality standards have been violated. Real-time PM data, however,illustrated how current PMstandards, such as 1- and 24-hour averages, may fail to capture shorter duration high PM events that areconsistent with resident concerns.

Shizuka Hsieh↗

Delaware Basin Health and Air Quality: Spatiotemporal Analysis of Air Pollutants Collected from Ground and Space Instruments Around the Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns National Parks

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a precursor for secondary air pollutants, which are associated with decreased visibility, and decreased ecosystem and respiratory health. NO2 is a growing threat to national parks within the Delaware Basin where nearby oil and gas activity contributes to deteriorating park conditions, implying adverse effects on the local tourism economy and public health. To demonstrate spatial and temporal patterns of air pollution in the parks, we examined average monthly, seasonal, and annual tropospheric column concentrations of NO2 in Carlsbad Caverns (CAVE) and Guadalupe Mountain (GUMO) National Parks. We used both the NASA Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and the European Space Agency (ESA) Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) to map NO2 tropospheric column densities. Using ground-based emissions values from the Environmental Protection Agency National Emissions Inventory (NEI) for two nearby natural gas processing plants (Indian Basin Gas Plant, South Carlsbad Plant), we extrapolated monthly trends from these point sources and compared seasonal emissions levels with the measurements recorded by OMI and TROPOMI. The NEI data show an 8% increase in flaring from 2013–2021. OMI measured a 38.3% NO2 increase over the Delaware Basin, 15.29% increase over CAVE, and 4.26% decrease over GUMO from 2011–2018. TROPOMI measured a -1% NO2 change over the Delaware Basin, 3% over CAVE, and 7% over GUMO from 2018–2020. The analysis indicates a positive correlation between emissions from fossil fuel exploration and NO2 concentrations above CAVE and GUMO. This information will inform National Park Service air quality monitoring and policy efforts to ensure compliance with the Clean Air Act.

Sean Cusick↗

Enabling Analysis of Air Quality Data From Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of POllution (Tempo) Via Cloud-Based Tools

Launched in April 2023, the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of POllution (TEMPO) instrument provides high-resolution measurements of key atmospheric pollutants, such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde. Maximizing the use and utility of this new source of air quality information requires streamlining data access for a wide variety of research, public health, and other interested users. These varied applications often require the data to be structured in different ways, e.g., specific formats, array shapes, or file sizes. To enable access to TEMPO data in different forms, the NASA Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC), as part of the NASA Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS), provides a variety of cloud-based data transformation and GIS visualization tools. This presentation demonstrates methods of accessing and working with TEMPO data through these services, while highlighting aspects of the software and algorithmic workflows that perform the necessary data transformations. Examples include data subsetting, concatenation, and visualizations accessible via Jupyter notebooks and GIS software.

Daniel Kaufman↗

Air Pollutant Emissions and Regulatory Implications of a Biorefinery Co-Processing Bio-Oil in a Petroleum Refinery: Preprint

Pyrolysis oil, often referred to as bio-oil when derived from biomass through a fast pyrolysis process, has attracted considerable attention because of the high carbonaceous matter and high heating value compared to the original biomass. Pyrolysis oil provides a viable link between the agriculture/forestry and (petro-) chemical industry. Utilizing existing fossil fuel infrastructure by introducing bio-oil in petroleum refineries to produce renewable hydrocarbon fuels (i.e., repurposing existing assets) is appealing due to its relatively low capital requirement. Our analysis examined the air pollutant emissions for a biorefinery utilizing an ex situ catalytic fast pyrolysis process to produce raw bio-oil, with a design capacity of 2,000 dry metric tons of biomass per day. Such a biorefinery is capable of providing sufficient bio-oil to a 4,200 barrels per day capacity of fluidized catalytic cracking unit if the bio-oil is co-processed at 5% (by volume) feed rate. This research is focused on understanding the potential air pollutant regulatory and permitting implications for a refinery co-processing 5% bio-oil with 95% vacuum gas oil in a fluidized catalytic cracking unit for two scenarios: the first case assumes that an ex situ biorefinery is collocated with a petroleum refinery, and the second one assumes that a petroleum refinery will receive bio-oil from a stand-alone biorefinery. We estimated the potential-to-emit values for 4 biorefinery and FCC sizes and assessed technically feasible emission control options that could help to avoid being subject to prevention of significant deterioration requirements due to petroleum refinery modifications to co-process bio-oil. This research fills gaps and overcomes barriers related to air permitting requirements for co-processing bio-oil in existing refineries for various stakeholders. The insights gained from this analysis can facilitate decision making and help expedite permitting processes for petroleum refineries, which seek opportunities to produce lower carbon fuels in their existing infrastructure.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Air Pollutant Emissions and Regulatory Implications of a Biorefinery Co-Processing Bio-Oil in a Petroleum Refinery

Pyrolysis oil, often referred to as bio-oil when derived from biomass through a fast pyrolysis process, has attracted considerable attention because of the high carbonaceous matter and high heating value compared to the original biomass. Pyrolysis oil provides a viable link between the agriculture/forestry and (petro-) chemical industry. Utilizing existing fossil fuel infrastructure by introducing bio-oil in petroleum refineries to produce renewable hydrocarbon fuels (i.e., repurposing existing assets) is appealing due to its relatively low capital requirement. Our analysis examined the air pollutant emissions for a biorefinery utilizing an ex situ catalytic fast pyrolysis process to produce raw bio-oil, with a design capacity of 2,000 dry metric tons of biomass per day. Such a biorefinery is capable of providing sufficient bio-oil to a 4,200 barrels per day capacity of fluidized catalytic cracking unit if the bio-oil is co-processed at 5% (by volume) feed rate. This research is focused on understanding the potential air pollutant regulatory and permitting implications for a refinery co-processing 5% bio-oil with 95% vacuum gas oil in a fluidized catalytic cracking unit for two scenarios: the first case assumes that an ex situ biorefinery is collocated with a petroleum refinery, and the second one assumes that a petroleum refinery will receive bio-oil from a stand-alone biorefinery. We estimated the potential-to-emit values for 4 biorefinery and FCC sizes and assessed technically feasible emission control options that could help to avoid being subject to prevention of significant deterioration requirements due to petroleum refinery modifications to co-process bio-oil. This research fills gaps and overcomes barriers related to air permitting requirements for co-processing bio-oil in existing refineries for various stakeholders. The insights gained from this analysis can facilitate decision making and help expedite permitting processes for petroleum refineries, which seek opportunities to produce lower carbon fuels in their existing infrastructure.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Air Pollutant Emissions and Regulatory Implications of a Biorefinery Producing Raw Bio-Oil: Preprint

Co-processing bio-oil with petroleum-derived intermediates in existing refineries attracted refineries' interest because it offers a promising opportunity to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels produced and requires relatively low capital investments to retrofit the refineries. A biorefinery producing bio-oil is considered a chemical process plant under the Clean Air Act's permitting program and could be classified as a major or minor source based on the size of the facility and the magnitude of regulated pollutants expected to be emitted. Our analysis examines the air pollutant emissions and potentially applicable federal air quality regulations for a biorefinery utilizing an ex situ catalytic fast pyrolysis process with a design capacity of processing 2,000 dry metric tons of biomass per day to produce 4,200 barrels of raw bio-oil per day. We quantify the preliminary potential-to-emit (PTE) for the biorefinery producing raw bio-oil and examine the ramifications on potential air permit classifications. We also provide an alternative set of PTE estimate by assuming the adoption of selected technically feasible emission control options that could help the biorefinery avoid being subject to major source permitting requirements (e.g., prevention of significant deterioration). Our analysis is expected to provide insights for new bio-oil project developers to identify opportunities to mitigate emissions and develop strategies to overcome potential challenges associated with air permitting.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Lifetime exposure to ambient air pollution and methylation of tumor suppressor genes in breast tumors

Highlights: • DNA was extracted from breast tumor tissue and methylation of nine genes was measured. • Total suspended particulates and traffic exposures throughout life were considered. • Exposure to TSP of a woman's first birth was associated with higher methylation of SYK and lower methylation of SCGB3A1. • Traffic exposure was associated with methylation of certain genes. • Our observed associations were not statistically significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons. We previously reported increased risk of breast cancer associated with early life exposure to two measures of air pollution exposure, total suspended particulates (TSP) and traffic emissions (TE), possible proxies for exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Exposure to PAHs has been shown to be associated with aberrant patterns of DNA methylation in peripheral blood of healthy individuals. Exposure to PAHs and methylation in breast tumor tissue has received little attention. We examined the association of early life exposure to TSP and TE with patterns of DNA methylation in breast tumors.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Ozone, NO2 and PM10 are associated with the occurrence of multiple sclerosis relapses. Evidence from seasonal multi-pollutant analyses

Highlights: • Season-dependent associations between short term exposure to NO{sub 2} and O{sub 3} and risk of MS relapses were observed. • Confirmation of PM10-associated risk of MS relapses. • A multi-pollutant approach should be systematically intended, especially when assessing level of PM{sub 10} and NO{sub 2.} • Individual characteristics should be considered alongside other MS relapses risk factors. Triggers of multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses are essentially unknown. PM{sub 10} exposure has recently been associated with an increased risk of relapses.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Environmental exposure to industrial air pollution is associated with decreased male fertility

Objective: To understand how chronic exposure to industrial air pollution is associated with male fertility through semen parameters. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Subjects: Men in the Subfertility, Health and Assisted Reproduction cohort who underwent a semen analysis 2005-2017 with ≥1 measured semen parameter (N=21,563). Intervention(s): Residential histories for each man were constructed using locations from administrative records linked through the Utah Population Database. Industrial facilities with air emissions of nine endocrine disrupting compound chemical classes were identified from the Environmental Protection Agency Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators microdata. Chemical levels were linked with residential histories for the 5 years prior to each semen analysis. Main Outcome Measures: Semen analyses were classified as azoospermic or oligozoospermic (< 15 M/mL) using World Health Organization cutoffs for concentration. Bulk semen parameters such as concentration, total count, ejaculate volume, total motility, total motile count, and total progressive motile count were also measured. Multivariable regression models with robust standard errors were used to associate exposure quartiles for each of the nine chemical classes with each semen parameter, adjusting for age, race, and ethnicity, as well as neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage. Results: After adjustment for demographic covariates, several chemical classes were associated with azoospermia and decreased total motility and volume. For exposure in the 4th relative to 1st quartile, significant associations were observed for acrylonitrile (β total motility = -0.87 pp), aromatic hydrocarbons (odds ratio [OR]azoospermia = 1.53; β volume = -0.14 mL), dioxins (OR azoospermia = 1.31; β volume = -0.09 mL; β total motility = -2.65 pp), heavy metals (β total motility = -2.78pp), organic solvents (OR azoospermia = 1.75; β volume = -0.10 mL), organochlorines (OR azoospermia = 2.09; β volume = -0.12 mL), phthalates (OR azoospermia = 1.44; β volume = -0.09 mL; β total motility = -1.21 pp), and silver particles (OR azoospermia = 1.64; β volume = -0.11 mL). All semen parameters significantly decreased with increasing socioeconomic disadvantage. Men who lived in the most disadvantaged areas had concentration, volume, and total motility of 6.70 M/mL, 0.13 mL, and 1.79 pp lower, respectively. Count, motile count, and total progressive motile count all decreased by 30–34 M.

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTAN↗

National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants. Calendar Year 2013 INL Report for Radionuclides [2014]

This report documents the calendar year 2013 radionuclide air emissions and resulting effective dose equivalent to the maximally exposed individual member of the public from operations at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory Site. This report was prepared in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, ''Protection of the Environment,'' Part 61, ''National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants,'' Subpart H, ''National Emission Standards for Emissions of Radionuclides Other than Radon from Department of Energy Facilities.'' The effective dose equivalent to the maximally exposed individual member of the public was 3.02 E-02 mrem per year, 0.30 percent of the 10 mrem standard.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Precipitation and Air Pollution at Mountain and Plain Stations in Northern China: Insights Gained from Observations and Modeling

We analyzed 40 year data sets of daily average visibility (a proxy for surface aerosol concentration) and hourly precipitation at seven weather stations, including three stations located on the Taihang Mountains, during the summertime in northern China. There was no significant trend in summertime total precipitation at almost all stations. However, light rain decreased, whereas heavy rain increased as visibility decreased over the period studied. The decrease in light rain was seen in both orographic-forced shallow clouds and mesoscale stratiform clouds. The consistent trends in observed changes in visibility, precipitation, and orographic factor appear to be a testimony to the effects of aerosols. The potential impact of large-scale environmental factors, such as precipitable water, convective available potential energy, and vertical wind shear, on precipitation was investigated. No direct links were found. To validate our observational hypothesis about aerosol effects, Weather Research and Forecasting model simulations with spectral-bin microphysics at the cloud-resolving scale were conducted. Model results confirmed the role of aerosol indirect effects in reducing the light rain amount and frequency in the mountainous area for both orographic-forced shallow clouds and mesoscale stratiform clouds and in eliciting a different response in the neighboring plains. The opposite response of light rain to the increase in pollution when there is no terrain included in the model suggests that orography is likely a significant factor contributing to the opposite trends in light rain seen in mountainous and plain areas.

air pollution↗

Anthropogenic pollution elevates the peak height of new particle formation from planetary boundary layer to lower free troposphere

New particle formation (NPF) and subsequent growth are primary sources of atmospheric aerosol particles and cloud condensation nuclei. Previous studies have been conducted in relatively clean environments; investigation of NPF events over highly polluted megacities is still lacking. Here in this paper we show, based on a recent yearlong aircraft campaign conducted over Beijing, China, from April 2011 to June 2012, that NPF occurrence peaks in the lower free troposphere (LT), instead of planetary boundary layer (PBL), as most previous studies have found and that the distance of NPF peak to PBL top increases with increasing aerosol loading. Further analysis reveals that increased aerosols suppress NPF in PBL, but enhance NPF in LT due to a complex chain of aerosol-radiation-photochemistry interactions that affect both NPF sources and sinks. These findings shed new light on our understanding of NPF occurrence, NPF vertical distribution, and thus their effects on atmospheric photochemistry, clouds, and climate.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Using Pb Isotope to Quantify the Effect of Various Sources on Multi-Metal Polluted soil in Guiyu

Guiyu is known as one of the largest e-waste disposal and recycling sites in China, which suffers greatly from heavy metal pollution. By evaluating the concentrations and distribution of 21 metal elements with Principal Component Analyses (PCA), five principal components were identified, which accounted for 70.4% of the information of the initial data matrix, including one e-waste recycling source, two geological sources, one source of human activities and one ocean aerosol source. Among them, the source of human activities cannot be detailed only by PCA. By using Pb isotope, the unexplained source was judged as battery sludge. Combining 21 metallic and metalloid element datasets with Pb isotope concentrations is more accurate and effective to identify uncertain sources in soil.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Biomonitoring of Air Pollution in Bosnia and Herzegovina Using Epiphytic Lichen Hypogymnia physodes

The aim of the study was to assess heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) air pollution in Bosnia and Herzegovina by using a lichen, Hypogymnia physodes. Metal content was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) and was between very high naturality or alteration to middle naturality or alteration. Strong correlations between Cr and Ni confirmed mainly anthropogenic sources. The scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) analysis of C, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, V, Co, As, Sn, Sb, Hg and Bi were performed on the lichen surface and hyphae of the transplanted samples. Despite significant damage to tissue and cell integrity, the recurrent presence of particulate matter in lichen indicates the considerable presence of dust in the urban atmosphere which, according to chemical composition, may be due to anthropogenic and natural sources such as soil.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗