ABSTRACT
The world population is demonstrating an increasing awareness about the ecological impacts of air quality, including impacts on human health. The Veneto region and, more generally, the Po Valley (NE Italy), are characterised by frequent exceedance of limit values for air quality, in particular particulate matter (PM10), which causes these areas to be listed as hotspots;thus, this region has some of the worst air pollution in Europe. The aim of the current research was to analyse a 10 year-long time series of air quality data (2011–2021) in the Veneto region to investigate the influence of selected factors on air quality, such as natural processes (meteorological conditions), environmental policies, and health emergency measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Generally, the considered pollutants, PM10, NO, and NO2, presented a decreasing trend during the last ten years. The reduction in nitrogen oxides was clearly improved after the implementation of a specific environmental protocol (the "New Agreement of Po Valley Basin”). Conversely, the PM10 concentration seemed to be affected by other important emission sources, such as domestic heating systems, agricultural activities, and animal farms, which are not as strongly regulated as emission sources such as traffic. The 2020 lockdown mainly influenced nitrogen oxide concentrations.
ABSTRACT
Analysis of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) has been proposed for the environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2. The aim of this study was to increase the current knowledge about the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in atmospheric PM, introduce a dedicated sampling method, and perform a simultaneous assessment of human seasonal coronavirus 229E. Thirty-two PM samples were collected on quartz fiber filters and six on Teflon using a low- and high-volumetric rate sampler, respectively, adopting a novel procedure for optimized virus detection. Sampling was performed at different sites in the Venice area (Italy) between 21 February and 8 March 2020 (n = 16) and between 27 October and 25 November 2020 (n = 22). A total of 14 samples were positive for Coronavirus 229E, 11 of which were collected in October-November 2020 (11/22; positivity rate 50%) and 3 in February-March 2020 (3/16 samples, 19%). A total of 24 samples (63%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Most of the positive filters were collected in October-November 2020 (19/22; positivity rate, 86%), whereas the remaining five were collected in February-March 2020 at two distinct sites (5/16, 31%). These findings suggest that outdoor PM analysis could be a promising tool for environmental surveillance. The results report a low concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in outdoor air, supporting a scarce contribution to the spread of infection.