Shipping emissions were characterised by La/Ce ratios between 0.6 and 0.8 and V/Ni ratios around 3 for both PM(10) and PM(2.5). In contrast, elevated La/Ce values (1-5) are attributable to emissions from refinery zeolitic fluid catalytic converter plant, and low average V/Ni values (around 1) result mainly from contamination from stainless steel plant emissions. The direct contribution from shipping in the Bay of Algeciras was estimated at 1.4-2.6 μg PM(10)/m(3) (3-7%) and 1.2-2.3 μg PM(2.5)/m(3) (5-10%). The total contribution from shipping (primary emissions + secondary sulphate aerosol formation) reached 4.7 μg PM(10)/m(3) (13%) and 4.1 μg PM(2.5)/m(3) (17%).

No abstract

The emission of trace metal pollutants by industry and transport takes place on a scale large enough to alter atmospheric chemistry and results in measurable differences between the urban background of inhalable particulate matter (PM) in different towns. This is particularly well demonstrated by the technogenic release into the atmosphere of V, Ni, and lanthanoid elements. We compare PM concentrations of these metals in large datasets from five industrial towns in Spain variously influenced by emissions from refinery, power station, shipping, stainless steel, ceramic tiles and brick-making. Increased La/Ce values in urban background inhalable PM, due to La-contamination from refineries and their residual products (fuel oils and petcoke), contrast with Ce-rich emissions from the ceramic related industry, and clearly demonstrate the value of this ratio as a sensitive and reliable tracer for many point source emissions. Similarly, anomalously high V/Ni values (>4) can detect the influence of nearby high-V petcoke and fuel oil combustion, although the use of this ratio in urban background PM is limited by overlapping values in natural and anthropogenic materials. Geochemical characterisation of urban background PM is a valuable compliment to the physical monitoring of aerosols widely employed in urban areas, especially given the relevance of trace metal inhalation to urban health issues.

No abstract

This paper investigates the pollution load of selected trace elements in 32 soil samples collected around 21 different mining areas of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (Southwest Spain), integrating chemical data with soil parameters to help understand the partitioning and mobility of pollutants. The minesoils are depleted in acid neutralising minerals and show limiting physicochemical properties, including low pH values and very high anomalies of potentially hazardous metals. The total concentrations of As (up to 1,560 mg kg −1 ) and certain heavy metals (up to 2,874 mg kg −1 Cu, 6,500 mg kg −1 Pb, 6,890 mg kg −1 Zn, 62 mg kg −1 Hg and 22 mg kg −1 Cd) are two orders of magnitude above the soil background values. The close association of Cd and Zn with the carbonate content in limeamended minesoils suggests metal immobilisation through adsorption and/or co-precipitation mechanisms, after acid neutralisation, whereas As and Pb are similarly partitioned into the soil and mostly associated with iron oxy-hydroxides.