Soil samples from the site of the former largest paint and varnish factory in ex-Yugoslavia were analyzed for arsenic and eight heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Fe, and Hg). Several additional soil properties (pH, sulfur, nitrogen, phosphorus, and water content) were also measured. Multivariate analysis showed strong correlations between Pb and Zn; and a moderate correlation between Cu and Ni. There was no correlation between heavy metals and any of the analyzed soil properties parameters. A factor analysis grouped most heavy metals, except Cd, which showed different behavior, and Fe and As, which associated with soil properties. The soil samples were clustered into two distinctive groups. Positive matrix factorization receptor modeling clearly identified Zn and Pb as belonging to the traffic vehicle factor. The second factor dominating arsenic was industrial chemical emissions, while the third factor containing most of the heavy metals was attributed to natural background variation. The last non-metallic factor, dominated by sulfur, was the result of past activities in the paint facility. The average enrichment factor values were for the metals analyzed were: 0.73; 0.71; 2.4; 0.58; 2.3; 0.87; 1.6; and 0.76; for Cr, Cd, Pb, Ni, Zn, Cu, As, and Hg, respectively. Only moderate soil enrichment by Pb and Zn was found. The geoaccumulation index values showed a moderately polluted soil with Pb and Zn, but most contributing to the ecological risk were Cd with 63% and Hg with 19%. These two metals are of major concern in this case study due to their high toxicity, even though they are present at very low concentrations. Generally, a moderate ecological risk was estimated for most soil samples, except for a small number of high-risk samples. Spatial distribution mapped three severely polluted sub-areas. In general, the paint and varnish industry moderately contributes to the contamination of soil. The main ecological risk from metal contamination is not related to the paint technological production process itself, but from other activities at the site that deposit of heavy metals into the soil.
A significant part of the population in Serbia relies on central heating systems during the winter months, with around fifty heating plants in operation across the country. Common fuels used in these plants primarily include fossil fuels such as fuel oil and natural gas. Combustion of some of these fuels leads to significant emissions of air pollutants. This study evaluates the impact on the air quality of the two heating boilers at the Valjevo city (Serbia) heating plant. Air emissions were measured separately for two heating boilers in the facility using standard reference methodology. The AERMOD air dispersion model was used to estimate the dispersion of various pollutants. A combination of topographical and meteorological data was used to set up a receptor grid exposed to air pollution within a 10 km radius around the heating plant. It was found that the resulting distribution and concentration gradient of pollutant gases and particles were less inclined towards the city centre and instead spread eastwards into the surrounding villages. The health risk from the fuel oil boiler was shown to be significantly higher than that caused by the natural gas-fuelled boiler. Nevertheless, the calculated carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks were within acceptable limits. However, further research is required to adequately assess the cumulative health risk generated by other surrounding emitters.
The health effects attributed to exposure to ambient PM2.5 concentrations above 10 ?g/m3 by using the AirQ+ modeling software were assessed. The hourly concentrations of PM2.5 were collected from 13 air pollution monitoring stations in the Belgrade district during Jun and July 2021., which were further used as input data for the AirQ+ software. The average concentration of PM2.5 for two-month monitoring from all sampling sites in the city was 14.8 ?g/m3, the maximum daily concentration was 55.7 ?g/m3, while the maximum concentration per hour was 365 ?g/m3. The spatial distribution of concentrations was mapped using geostatistical interpolation, revealing hotspots within the city centre and industrial area of the district. The burden of disease, such as stroke, ischemic heart disease (IHD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer (LC), due to the ambient PM2.5 pollution was evaluated according to the WHO methodology for health risk assessment of air pollution. The model used for this assessment is based on the attributable proportion defined as the section of the health effect related to exposure to air pollution in an at-risk population. The estimated attributable proportion was 19.4% for stroke, 27.2% for IHD, 15.3% for COPD and 9.0% for LC. The estimated number of attributable cases per 100,000 population at risk, due to PM2.5 air pollution, for stroke, IHD, COPD, and LC, was 28, 34, 15, and 8, respectively.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.