Traffic-related trace element concentrations in PM10 and horse chestnut leaves

Abstract

Urban environment is heavily impacted by airborne particulates originated from fossil fuel combustion, traffic, industry and other anthropogenic activities. Trace elements, attached to PM10, can be toxic and may have dangerousimpacts on human health. The assessment of the trace element content of PM10 gives important information for development of risk assessment strategies. In the past decades, biomonitoring of air quality using plantshas been widely usedto detect and monitor trace and other element atmospheric contamination (Bargagli 1998; Markert, 1993).Previousstudies have shown that horse chestnut leaves could be valuabletools for monitoring trace elementsin the atmosphere (Aničić, 2011; Šućur, 2010; Tomašević, 2011). The objective of this study was to obtain data of the temporal variability of PM10 mass concentrations and traffic-related trace element contentin PM10 and tree leaves samples collected from year 2006 to 2012. It was a transition period when gasoline with lead-alkyl additives was replaced with unleaded kind, with the complete ban of the leaded gasoline in the beginning of 2011.