Temporal and spatial variation of trace elements in atmospheric deposition around the industrial area of Puchuncaví-Ventanas (Chile) and its influence on exceedances of lead and cadmium critical loads in soils

Fractionation of elemental contents in atmospheric samples is useful to evaluate pollution levels for risk assessment and pollution sources assignment. We present here the main results of long-term characterization of atmospheric deposition by using a recently developed atmospheric elemental fractionation sampler (AEFS) for major and trace elements monitoring around an important industrial complex located in Puchuncaví region (Chile). Atmospheric deposition samples were collected during two sampling campaigns (2010 and 2011) at four sampling locations: La Greda (LG), Los Maitenes (LM), Puchuncaví (PU) and Valle Alegre (VA). Sample digestion and ICP-MS gave elements deposition values (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Pb, Sb, Ti, V and Zn) in the insoluble fraction of the total atmospheric deposition. Results showed that LG location, the closest location to the industrial complex, was the more polluted sampling site having the highest values for the analyzed elements. PU and LM were the next more polluted and, finally, the lowest elements concentrations were registered at VA. The application of Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis identified industrial, traffic and mineral-crustal factors. We found critical loads exceedances for Pb at all sampling locations in the area affected by the industrial emissions, more significant in LG close to the industrial complex, with a trend to decrease in 2011, whereas no exceedances due to atmospheric deposition were detected for Cd. Paper published in Chemosphere. Read more

Long-term assessment of ecological risk from deposition of elemental pollutants in the vicinity of the industrial area of Puchuncaví-Ventanas, central Chile

The present work investigates soil pollution by elemental contaminants and compares ecological risk indexes related to industrial activities for the case study of Puchuncaví-Ventanas: a relevant industrial zone located in central Chile. Selected elements (As, Pb, Cd, Ni, Hg, V, Mn, Zn, Sr, Sb, Cr, Co, Cu, K, and Ba) were analyzed during a long-term period (yearly sampling campaigns during 2007–2011), at 5 sampling stations representing different degrees of impact. PCA and cluster analysis allowed identifying a copper smelter and a coal-fired power plant complex asmajor pollution sources. Geoaccumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (Cf), contamination degree (Cdeg), and integrated pollution index (IPI) are critically discussed for quantitative ecological risk assessment. Igeo, EFandCf indexes are producing comparable environmental information, showing moderate to high pollution risks in the area that demands furthermonitoring and adoption of prevention and remediation measures. Published in Science of the Total Environment. Read more

Ambient air levels and health risk assessment of benzo(a)pyrene in atmospheric particulate matter samples from low polluted areas: application of an optimized microwave extraction and HPLC-FL methodology

A new methodology involving a simple and fast pretreatment of the samples by microwave-assisted extraction and concentration by N2 stream, followed by HPLC with fluorescence detection, was used for determining the concentration of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) in atmospheric particulate matter (PM10 fraction). Obtained LOD, 1.0 × 10−3 ng/m3, was adequate for the analysis of benzo(a)pyrene in the samples, and BaP recovery from PAH in Fine Dust (PM10-like) certified reference material was nearly quantitative (86 %). The validated procedure was applied for analyzing 115 PM10 samples collected at different sampling locations in the low-polluted area of Extremadura (Southwest Spain) during a monitoring campaign carried out in 2011–2012. BaP spatial variations and seasonal variability were investigated as well as the influence of meteorological conditions and different air pollutants concentrations. A normalized protocol for health risk assessment was applied to estimate lifetime cancer risk due to BaP inhalation in the sampling areas, finding that around eight inhabitants per million people may develop lung cancer due to the exposition to BaP in atmospheric particulates emitted by the investigated sources. Published in Environmental Science and Pollution Research. Read more

Mercury pollution assessment in soils affected by industrial emissions using miniaturized ultrasonic probe extraction and ICP-MS

A combination of probe ultrasonic extraction, optimized by surface response methodology, and Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detection is described in this work as an effective methodology  for mercury monitoring in soils affected by industrial emissions. Minute amounts of samples (typically
20 mg) can be extracted in 3 min by 1 mL of HCl-based extracting solution, without risk of mercury losses, and sub sequentially assayed by ICP-MS. The method was successfully tested on soil standard reference materials and then applied to mercury monitoring in a large set of real soil samples collected during a long-term monitoring survey (2007–2011) around the industrial area of Puchuncaví, Chile. The method proved to be useful for investigation of spatial and temporal mercury variability in the area, showing an intermediate to high mercury contamination with potential impact on the surrounding ecosystem. Published in the International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology.  Read more

Wearable electrochemical sensors: innovative tools for the emerging mobile health ecosystem

Wearable electrochemical sensors: innovative tools for the emerging mobile health ecosystem, Journal of Applied Bioanalysis 1(3) (2015) 68-71. With an estimated present global market of US$ 86.3 billion and expected annual increase around 7.9 % from now to 2020, sensors are nowadays one of the most active areas of research and technological developments [1] and a basic pillar of the emerging mobile health strategy that is expected to be revolutionizing healthcare in the near future. The biosensor and chemical sensor category is one of the most growing segment of this market, mainly due to increased use for medical purposes. Wearable electrochemical sensors conform a particularly flourishing category that benefits from the improvements in micro and nano fabrication of electrodes and instrumental components based on a range of new electrode materials (e.g. graphene). They are also expanding thanks to the widespread availability of advanced signal processing and management technologies on smartphones, tablets and similar portable devices. The aim of this contribution is to highlight the most outstanding recent progresses in the field of wearable electrochemical sensors for decentralized bioanalysis and show some examples of research trends that will shape the sector and expand applicability fields in the near future.

Long-term assessment of ecological risk from deposition of elemental pollutants in the vicinity of the industrial area of Puchuncavi-Ventanas, central Chile

Long-term assessment of ecological risk from deposition of elemental pollutants in the vicinity of the industrial area of Puchuncavi-Ventanas, central Chile: Science of The Total Environment, Volume(s) 527-528, 14-May-2015, Pages 335-343. The present work investigates soil pollution by elemental contaminants and compares ecological risk indexes related to industrial activities for the case study of Puchuncaví-Ventanas: a relevant industrial zone located in central Chile. Selected elements (As, Pb, Cd, Ni, Hg, V, Mn, Zn, Sr, Sb, Cr, Co, Cu, K, and Ba) were analyzed during a long-term period (yearly sampling campaigns during 2007–2011), at 5 sampling stations representing different degrees of impact. PCA and cluster analysis allowed identifying a copper smelter and a coal-fired power plant complex asmajor pollution sources. Geoaccumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (Cf), contamination degree (Cdeg), and integrated pollution index (IPI) are critically discussed for quantitative ecological risk assessment. Igeo, EF and Cf indexes are producing comparable environmental information, showing moderate to high pollution risks in the area that demands further monitoring and adoption of prevention and remediation measures.

Quality assurance in aerosol analysis

The journal Accreditation and Quality Assurancew has recently published our paper "Method validation and quality assurance of an ICP-MS protocol for the evaluation of trace and major elements in ambient aerosol samples and application to an air quality surveillance network". This study presents the results of a quality assurance evaluation program applied to the method routinely used for the evaluation of a large elemental profile in aerosol samples from the air quality surveillance network of Extremadura, Spain, where low pollution levels are usually encountered. A critical evaluation of the most relevant analytical steps is presented, including long-term blank values evaluation, limits of detection, certified reference material recoveries, method uncertainty and results of comparison studies for gravimetric and trace element analysis. Results obtained at the air quality network of Extremadura for the gravimetric and multielemental analysis are presented for the 2008 campaign. Read more.