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Dry and living Sphagnum palustre moss samples were compared in parallel in order to study their biocumulative capability as biomonitoring tools. The two biomonitoring forms were used and compared to evaluate advantages and disadvantages of both preparation approaches and to choose the most suitable tool. The study was performed in an urban area to identify the main pollution sources. Cluster Analysis and Principal Components Analysis were used in order to identify specific element profiles attributed to various sources impacting both dry and living plant composition. A large number of tracer elements were initially tested by multivariate statistical data treatment but it turned out that a much smaller number of them could be used in modeling. Consequently, future monitoring can be performed using fewer tracers without losing significant information. Environmetric results were compared with absolute concentration levels of the indicated tracer elements and also compared at various locations. The contribution of pollution sources to the total concentration of elements in biomonitors was determined.

Abstract:The impact of a phosphatic fertilizer plant on the adjacent environment was examined. Selected rare earth elements, heavy metals and metalloids were determined in substrates and products, waste by-product, and grass and soil samples. Concentration gradients of elements in grass and soil samples along the southerly and easterly directions were examined and compared with the content of interior soil and grass samples, substrates, and products. Results were compared with available data on soil permissible element concentration levels. Two fuzzy principal component analysis (FPCA) methods for robust estimation of principal components were applied and compared with classical PCA. The efficiency of the new algorithms is illustrated. The investigation explored the impact of the plant on the adjacent environment. The most reliable results, in good agreement with types of samples, were produced using the FPCA-O algorithm.

Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) was performed for the determination of 25 elements in hair, toenails, and PM2.5 (particles smaller than 2.5 microm in aerodynamic diameter) to assess how human tissues of occupational staff and inhaled particles follow the industrial exposure of Gdansk Phosphatic fertilizer plant in Poland. Statistical analysis was used to elucidate this exposure. The results obtained were compared using box and whiskers plot and the parametric t-test and nonparametric Mann-Whitney U- test. The comparison showed a statistically significant difference between workers and control group concerning for example Br, Ca, Cl, La, Mn, Sm, U and V in hair, Cu, Dy, La, Sm, Ti and U in toenails and Al, As, Cl, I, K, La, Mg, Mn, Na, Sm and Zn in PM2.5 samples.