Apportioning PM1 in a contrasting receptor site in the Mediterranean region: Aerosol sources with an updated sulfur speciation.

A multi-parametric experimental campaign was performed in Agri Valley (Basilicata, southern Italy) from July 2017 to January 2018. The investigated area, though basically rural and devoted to agricultural activities, hosts a huge on-shore oil reservoir, i.e. Centro Olio Val d'Agri (COVA), bringing substantial environmental modifications and impacts to the district landscape. Daily concentrations of PM1 aerosol samples, Equivalent Black Carbon and number size distributions were evaluated. Chemical aerosol speciation based on elemental and ion analyses were carried out and source apportionment by Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) was applied to reconstruct PM1 source profile. The most significant emission sources found are torches from the oil treatment facility (37 % w/w), an unresolved factor constituted by soil resuspension, Saharan dust, and biomass burning (24 % w/w), ammonium sulphate (23 % w/w), emissions from the oil desulfurization (Claus process) (13 % w/w), and traffic + road dust (3 % w/w). SEM analysis on PM1 single particles allowed to confirm the finding from PMF including the occurrence of elemental sulfur associated with the Claus process. The novelty of the present study consists in the identification of this latter fingerprint.

Mineralogy and heavy metal assessment of the Pietra del Pertusillo reservoir sediments (Southern Italy).

The Pietra del Pertusillo freshwater reservoir is a major artificial lake of environmental, biological, and ecological importance located in the Basilicata region, southern Italy. The reservoir arch-gravity dam was completed in 1963 for producing hydroelectric energy and providing water for human use, and nearby there are potential sources of anthropogenic pollution such as urban and industrial activities. For the first time, the minero-chemistry of the lake and fluvio-lacustrine sediments of the reservoir have been evaluated to assess the environmental quality. Moreover, the composition of fluvial sediments derived from the peri-lacual zone of the reservoir and of local outcropping bedrock were also studied to understand the factors affecting the behavior of elements in the freshwater reservoir, with particular attention paid to heavy metals. In Italy, specific regulatory values concerning the element threshold concentration for lake and river sediments do not exist, and for this reason, soil threshold values are considered the standard for sediments of internal waters. The evaluation of the environmental quality of reservoir sediments has been performed using enrichment factors obtained with respect to the average composition of a reconstructed local upper continental crust. We suggest this method as an innovative standard in similar conditions worldwide. In the studied reservoir sediments, the trace elements that may be of some environmental concern are Cr, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb although, at this stage, the distribution of these elements appears to be mostly driven by geogenic processes. However, within the frame of the assessment and the preservation of the quality of aquatic environments, particular attention has to be paid to As (which shows median value of 10 ppm, reaching a maximum value of 26 ppm in Quaternary sediments), constantly enriched in the lacustrine samples and especially in the fine-grained fraction (median = 8.5 ppm).

Mobility of trace metals in serpentinite-derived soils of the Pollino Massif (Southern Italy): insights on bioavailability and toxicity.

This paper deals with the evaluation of geo- and bioavailability of trace elements, including heavy metals, present in a typical serpentinite-derived soil of the Pollino Massif (Southern Italy). Precisely, the research was aimed to (1) assess processes and factors controlling the mobility of metals in the soil in order to identify the elements "potentially harmful" for the human health, (2) estimate possible metals accumulation in horticultural crops, and (3) evaluate phyto- and genotoxicity of Cr naturally present in soils and water. The studied profile has a homogeneous mineralogical composition consisting of metal-rich phases as prevailing minerals. The three-step sequential extraction was performed on soil samples from which four fractions (exchangeable, reducible, oxidizable, and residual) were obtained and analysed by ICP-MS. The lowest contents of metals are in the exchangeable and oxidizable fractions suggesting a metal contamination is unlikely for the studied soil. Conversely, the residual and reducible fractions are the more metal enriched fractions. Among heavy metals, mainly Pb and Cd and subordinately Ni, Cr, Cu, and Zn are associated with Fe- and Mn-oxi/hydroxides that, under acidic conditions, may release the adsorbed metals in circulating water. The high contents of heavy metals, including Cr and Ni, of analysed vegetables suggest a metal transfer from soil to plant. However, no significant effects on Vicia faba seeds were observed by in vivo phyto- and genotoxicity tests. Conversely in vitro genotoxicity tests, performed on HepG2 human cell line, showed that DNA damage and cytotoxic effect depending on Cr concentration may occur.

A systematic approach for the comparison of PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 mass concentrations of characteristic environmental sites.

This study explores the use of a systematic approach in the comparison of simultaneous measurements of PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 mass concentrations using Aitchison geometry. Three case studies in three different Asian cities where the PM coarse, fine, and ultrafine size fraction prevail were investigated and the data was displayed using a dedicated triangular diagram. Simultaneous size-segregated PM measurements, for each case study, were assessed in terms of PM ratios and PM10 levels and were compared to similar measurements reported in literature. Non-central chi-squared distribution quantiles, for each case study, were evaluated and used to investigate the degree of similarity between simultaneous size-segregated PM ratios. Likewise, a comparative number k was used to show the proportion between PM10 levels. The issues relating to the location of the simultaneous size-segregated PM ratios on the triangular diagram were examined and the effects of the non-centrality parameter λ on PM comparison were indicated. The results show that the proposed systematic approach can estimate an explorative quantile (i.e., 2.5%) within which the simultaneous size-segregated PM measurements from one site can be compared with simultaneous size-segregated PM measurements from other sites reported in literature highlighting the existence of possible similarities or correspondences in the kind of sources influencing the PM.

Trace element investigations in urinary stones: a preliminary pilot case in Basilicata (Southern Italy).

The role of trace elements in the lithogenesis of urinary stones is still debated. However, it is generally appreciated that urinary stones are one of the most common health problems in the world and are strongly associated with environmental factors. It is important to highlight that urinary stones containing trace elements could be considered a marker of environmental pollution. A large set of urinary stones (48), collected among the Basilicata (southern Italy) inhabitants, was analysed by AAS and ICP for the content of specific chemical elements that were either involved in the crystallisation process of kidney stones (Ca, Mg, K, Zn, Fe, Cu, and Mn) or which were potentially toxic (Pb, Cr). Three main findings emerge from the results: Furthermore, the results showed that the concentrations of Zn, Cu, Fe, Pb and Cr were greater than that of ingested from a standard diet. Consequently, varying amounts of these elements may have been attributed to their enrichment in the diet of the inhabitants of polluted areas.

Mineralogical and morphological investigation of kidney stones of a Mediterranean region (Basilicata, Italy).

Kidney stones are a very frequent finding in southern Italy, but stone analysis is not routinely performed. However, it is an important requirement not only for a successful treatment of this disease, but also for the prophylaxis to prevent any recurrence. We therefore set out to analyze 80 kidney stones collected from Basilicata Region (Southern, Italy). X-ray powder diffraction as well as optical and scanning electron microscopy and petrographic thin section analysis have been applied in order to determine the mineralogical and morphological compositions. The internal structure and the relation between major and minor components have facilitated the classification of the kidney stones according to a detailed scheme. As it is known from other country, calcium oxalate stones were the most frequent (59%) [39% mainly composed of whewellite, CaC2O4*H2O and 29% is mainly made of weddellite, CaC2O4*2H2O]. Uric acid stones were abundant too (18%). Calcium phosphate and cystine stone were less. The results of the observations of kidney stones in thin petrographic sections led to the identification of more cores in the same whewellite kidney stones. In some kidney stones the core is not situated in the central zone, which represents the point of attachment on kidney wall. Basilicata kidney stone prevalence is different from the average prevalence determined in other Mediterranean areas. The comparison showed that calcium oxalate stones seem to be more frequent, and there is a high prevalence of uric acid kidney stones and a lower prevalence of phosphate kidney stones, especially hydroxyapatite. The relative increase frequency of uric acid stones in the northern part of the Region may be due to high-purine diets and softness water consumption.